Method, non-transitory computer readable storage medium, device and system

ABSTRACT

The present application relates to a method whereby the communication traffic between a wireless communication apparatus such as a smartphone and another device such as a map information providing server and/or server managed by mobile virtual network operator MVNO. According to a first aspect, the communication traffic can be reduced by dividing items of geographical information that are sent to the smartphone are divided into static information and dynamic information and the two types of information are separately processed in that the map data is updated less often than information such as traffic congestion, weather information or the congestion level of a base station. According to a second aspect, congestion information is derived by averaging over time the number of vehicles which pass through a certain point. According to a third aspect, the updating interval, i.e. the frequency by which new information will be downloaded from the server, is adapted to degree of change of the dynamic information over time. According to a fourth aspect, the updating interval is adapted to the movement speed of the smartphone. According to a fifth aspect, download rates of a communication carrier are displayed on top of a map, thereby providing some sort of geobrowsing. According to a sixth aspect, an MVNO informs its subscribers about base station related information, such as signal intensity and the base station&#39;s congestion level. According to a seventh aspect, the smartphone selects, on the basis of the various items of information received, another network, either manually or automatically.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present technology relates to an information processing apparatus,and more specifically, to an information processing apparatus, acommunication system, and an information processing method that controlthe frequency of updating of information in a wireless communicationapparatus.

BACKGROUND ART

Hitherto, wireless communication apparatuses connected to a network,such as a public wireless network, are widely used. From the year of2002, third generation (3G) mobile phone services (called “thirdgeneration” in Japan) were started. When these mobile phone serviceswere started, small size packets, such as voice, email, etc. were mainlyhandled as applications. However, due to the introduction of High SpeedDownlink Packet Access (HSDPA), users are now able to downloadrelatively large size packets, such as music files, moving pictures,etc.

These days, high-functionality wireless communication apparatuses (e.g.,smartphones) mainly handling packet communication are coming intowidespread use. Additionally, by considering a situation in whichcommunication carriers and service providers using the Internet areproviding user oriented services to users in mobile environments,position information is becoming an influential factor. Accordingly,wireless communication apparatuses having a function of obtainingposition information are coming into widespread use.

For example, an electronic device that obtains position informationindicating the position of the electronic device at predeterminedregular intervals has been proposed (e.g., see PTL. 1).

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

PTL 1: JP 2009-150839A

SUMMARY Technical Problem

These days, as various services are being more and more provided,communication traffic between a wireless communication apparatus and aninformation processing apparatus is being increased. Accordingly, it isnecessary that communication traffic be reduced by suitably updatingvarious items of information, such as position information.

It is thus desirable to reduce communication traffic by suitablyupdating information in a wireless communication apparatus.

Solution to Problem

Accordingly, some embodiments are directed to

a method for controlling updating of information stored on a device, theinformation comprising information of a first type and information of asecond type. The method comprises: determining, using at least oneprocessor, when a first item of information of the first type and asecond item of information of the second type are to be updated, whereinthe second item of information is to be updated more frequently than thefirst item of information; and causing the device to update the firstand second items of information in accordance with the determination atleast in part by wirelessly communicating with at least one otherdevice.

Other embodiments are directed to at least one non-transitory computerreadable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions that,when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least oneprocessor to perform a method for controlling updating of informationstored on a device, the information comprising information of a firsttype and information of a second type. The method comprises determiningwhen a first item of information of the first type and a second item ofinformation of the second type are to be updated, wherein the seconditem of information is to be updated more frequently than the first itemof information; and causing the device to update the first and seconditems of information in accordance with the determination at least inpart by wirelessly communicating with at least one other device.

Still other embodiments are directed to a device. The device comprisesat least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing atleast a first item of information of a first type and at least a seconditem of information of a second type, and at least one processorprogrammed to control updating of information stored on the at least onenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium at least in part by:

determining when a first item of information of the first type and asecond item of information of the second type are to be updated, whereinthe second item of information is to be updated more frequently than thefirst item of information; and

updating the first and second items of information in accordance withthe determination at least in part by wirelessly communicating with atleast one other device.

Still other embodiments are directed to a system comprising a devicecomprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumstoring at least a first item of information of a first type and atleast a second item of information of a second type; and at least onecomputer configured to control updating of information stored on the atleast one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium at least inpart by: determining when a first item of information of the first typeand a second item of information of the second type are to be updated,wherein the second item of information is to be updated more frequentlythan the first item of information; and causing the device to update thefirst and second items of information in accordance with thedetermination at least in part by wirelessly communicating with at leastone other device.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to some embodiments of the present technology, it may bepossible to reduce communication traffic by suitably updatinginformation in a wireless communication apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfiguration of a wireless communication apparatus according to a firstembodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates management content of an updatinginformation manager according to the first embodiment of the presenttechnology.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a display screen displayed on a displayunit according to the first embodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of area determining processing performedby an area determining unit according to the first embodiment of thepresent technology.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of area determining processing performedby the area determining unit according to the first embodiment of thepresent technology.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates an approach to calculating averagevalues by an average value calculator according to the first embodimentof the present technology.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure ofinformation updating processing performed by a wireless communicationapparatus according to the first embodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating determination processing of theprocedure of the information updating processing performed by thewireless communication apparatus according to the first embodiment ofthe present technology.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfiguration of a wireless communication apparatus according to asecond embodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfiguration of another wireless communication apparatus according tothe second embodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfiguration of a wireless communication apparatus according to a thirdembodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a display screen displayed on adisplay unit according to the third embodiment of the presenttechnology.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfiguration of another wireless communication apparatus according tothe third embodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the systemconfiguration of a communication system according to a fourth embodimentof the present technology.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfiguration of the communication system according to the fourthembodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 16 schematically illustrates the temporal-direction density of thefrequency at which a server obtains second information from one or aplurality of wireless communication apparatuses.

FIG. 17 is a sequence chart illustrating an example of communicationprocessing performed between a wireless communication apparatus and theserver forming the communication system of the fourth embodiment of thepresent technology.

FIG. 18 is a sequence chart illustrating an example of communicationprocessing performed between a wireless communication apparatus and theserver forming the communication system of the fourth embodiment of thepresent technology.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an example of sending frequencyinstruction processing executed by the server according to the fourthembodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating another example of sending frequencyinstruction processing executed by the server according to the fourthembodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfiguration of another wireless communication apparatus according tothe fourth embodiment of the present technology.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Some embodiments of the present technology will be described below. Adescription will be given in the following order.

-   -   1. First Embodiment (information updating control: an example in        which first information and second information are updated with        different frequencies)    -   2. Second Embodiment (information sending control: an example in        which the frequency of sending of second information to an        information processing apparatus is controlled)    -   3. Third Embodiment (switching control of wireless communication        method: an example in which the wireless communication method or        contract authentication information is switched)    -   4. Fourth Embodiment (information sending control: an example in        which the frequency of sending of second information from a        wireless communication apparatus is specified by an information        processing apparatus)

1. First Embodiment “Example of Functional Configuration of WirelessCommunication Apparatus of First Embodiment”

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfiguration of a wireless communication apparatus 100 according to afirst embodiment of the present technology.

The wireless communication apparatus 100 includes a communication unit110, a first-information storage unit 120, a second-information storageunit 130, an information combining unit 140, a display unit 150, anaverage value calculator 160, an updating frequency controller 170, aposition information obtaining unit 180, an area determining unit 190,and an updating information manager 200. The wireless communicationapparatus 100 may be realized by a mobile phone, a smartphone, or anotebook personal computer (PC) or a tablet terminal having acommunication function. The wireless communication apparatus 100 is anexample of an information processing apparatus or a wirelesscommunication apparatus.

The communication unit 110 sends and receives various items ofinformation to and from another information processing apparatus (e.g.,a server) (not shown) by utilizing wireless communication under thecontrol of the updating frequency controller 170. For example, thecommunication unit 110 performs wireless communication by utilizing a 3Gnetwork. The communication unit 110 also categorizes items ofinformation received from other information processing apparatuses intotwo types, i.e., first information and second information, on the basisof updating information stored in the updating information manager 200,and stores the first information and the second information in thefirst-information storage unit 120 and the second-information storageunit 130, respectively. For example, if the communication unit 110receives first information from another information processingapparatus, the communication unit 110 stores the received firstinformation in the first-information storage unit 120. If thecommunication unit 110 receives second information from anotherinformation processing apparatus, the communication unit 110 stores thereceived second information in the second-information storage unit 130.

The first information and the second information are informationconcerning wireless communication, and also, are information necessaryfor, for example, a user, and the content of such information ischanged. More specifically, the first and second information concerningwireless communication are parameters necessary for forming a wirelesssignal or a communication system, such as a communication method, amodulation method, a carrier frequency, a signal intensity, andreporting information, or values calculated from these parameters. Thefirst and second information concerning wireless communication alsoinclude information concerning characters and images transmitted throughwireless communication. The information concerning characters and imagesincludes all items or some items of information necessary for generatingcharacters and images.

The content of the first and second information changes over time. Thefirst information is information which changes by a smaller degree overtime than the second information. That is, the degree by which the firstinformation changes over time (on a time axis) is small. Thus, the firstinformation has static characteristics. In contrast, the degree by whichthe second information changes over time (on a time axis) is large andthus, the second information has dynamic characteristics.

Concerning character or image information, too, information whichchanges by a small degree over time is handled as the first information,while information which changes by a large degree over time is handledas the second information. For example, if there is no considerablemovement in a certain area, there is not much temporal change in mapinformation about this area, and thus, the map information is handled asthe first information. In contrast, there may be a considerable changein information to be superposed on map information, such as informationconcerning advertisements, the congestion in a train or a store, or theoccupancy rate of wireless resources of a certain base station (thecongestion level of a base station). Accordingly, such information,which changes by a large degree over time, is handled as the secondinformation.

The first information (information which concerns wireless communicationand which changes by a small degree over time) may be informationconcerning the intensity of a pilot signal, a reference signal, or abeacon signal received from a base station connected to the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100. The first information may also beinformation concerning the communication quality calculated from theintensity of an interference signal received from a base station aroundthe wireless communication apparatus 100. That is, the first informationmay be information concerning the ratio of the intensity of interferencepower received from one or a plurality of base stations or a cell aroundthe wireless communication apparatus 100 to the intensity of a pilotsignal, a reference signal, or a beacon signal received from a basestation connected to the wireless communication apparatus 100 or a cellin which the wireless communication apparatus 100 is disposed.

The second information (information which concerns wirelesscommunication and which changes by a large degree over time) may beinformation concerning the allocation of wireless resources, which aremomentarily changed, to a base station connected to the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 (information concerning the situation ofallocation of wireless resources). For example, it is assumed that thecommunication method is a code division multiple access (CDMA) method.In this case, the allocation of wireless resources is the ratio of powerallocated to a signal spread by codes, e.g., codes for HighSpread-Downlink Shared Channel (HS-DSCH), used for data transmission.That is, in the case of the CDMA method, the second information may bean index regarding the ratio of power allocated to a data transmissionchannel per frame. In the case of an orthogonal frequency divisionmultiplexing (OFDM) method, the allocation of wireless resources is theratio of the number of sub-carriers allocated to transmission data tothe total number of sub-carriers per frame. That is, in the case of theOFDM method, the second information may be an index regarding the ratioof the number of sub-carriers allocated to transmission data to thetotal number of sub-carriers per frame. In this case, the indexregarding the ratio of the number of sub-carriers may be an indexregarding the ratio of power allocated to sub-carriers, in which case,the base for the ratio may be total power which can be allocated to allsub-carriers or reception average power of a reference signal.

The second information may be user's subjective opinion informationconcerning a situation of the congestion of a road, a train or a store,weather, or temperature, which is momentarily changing. The secondinformation may be information indicating a numeric value obtained fromsuch user's subjective opinion information.

The first and second information may be information which is dependenton position information. For example, the above-described intensity ofan interference signal received from a base station around the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 changes depending on the relative positionalrelationship between the wireless communication apparatus 100 and thebase station around the wireless communication apparatus 100.

Another information processing apparatus (e.g., a server) which sendsand receives various items of information to and from the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 provides such first and second informationto the wireless communication apparatus 100 by utilizing wirelesscommunication. It can be assumed that such an information processingapparatus (e.g., a server) is managed by a communication carrierproviding wireless connection services, e.g., a mobile virtual networkoperator (MVNO). The MVNO is a virtual communication carrier.

The first-information storage unit 120 is a storage unit which storestherein first information (information which concerns wirelesscommunication and which changes by a small degree over time). Thesecond-information storage unit 130 is a storage unit which storestherein second information (information which concerns wirelesscommunication and which changes by a large degree over time). That is,information which changes by a small degree over time is stored in thefirst-information storage unit 120 and is processed, and informationwhich changes by a large degree over time is stored in thesecond-information storage unit 130 and is processed.

The information combining unit 140 generates new information (thirdinformation) by combining first information stored in thefirst-information storage unit 120 with second information stored in thesecond-information storage unit 130. The information combining unit 140displays the generated new information (third information) on thedisplay unit 150.

The information combining unit 140 is capable of performing varioussynthesis operations, such as the four arithmetic operations of variousitems of information, synthesis of items of image information, andsynthesis of items of character information. For example, theinformation combining unit 140 may perform synthesis by superposingcharacter information or image information stored in thesecond-information storage unit 130 on map information stored in thefirst-information storage unit 120. An example of a display screenobtained as a result of such a synthesis operation is shown in FIG. 3.

The display unit 150 is a display that displays new information (thirdinformation) generated by a synthesis operation of the informationcombining unit 140. As the display unit 150, a display panel, forexample, an organic electroluminescence (EL) panel or a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD) panel, may be used. As the display unit 150, a touch panelwhich enables a user to input the content of an operation by bringing afinger to contact or close to a display screen of the touch panel may beused. Alternatively, the display screen itself of a mobile phone, asmartphone, or a notebook PC or a tablet terminal having a communicationfunction may be used as the display unit 150. Alternatively, part of theabove-described display screen may be used specially as the display unit150.

The average value calculator 160 calculates average values of items ofsecond information stored in the second-information storage unit 130,and outputs calculation results to the updating frequency controller170. The average value calculator 160 calculates average values of itemsof second information stored in the second-information storage unit 130such that the second information may be updated with a frequency levelhigher than that of the first information stored in thefirst-information storage unit 120. An approach to calculating averagevalues will be discussed in detail later with reference to FIGS. 6A and6B.

The updating frequency controller 170 manages and controls timing atwhich first information stored in the first-information storage unit 120is updated and timing at which second information stored in thesecond-information storage unit 130 is updated.

If the updating frequency controller 170 determines that it is necessaryto update first information stored in the first-information storage unit120, it performs control so that the communication unit 110 will requestanother information processing apparatus to send a new version of firstinformation to be stored in the first-information storage unit 120. Theupdating frequency controller 170 also performs control so that thecommunication unit 110 will receive first information from anotherinformation processing apparatus. Additionally, the updating frequencycontroller 170 is able to determine, from a predetermined lapse of timeafter the previous updating time, timing at which first informationstored in the first-information storage unit 120 will be updated.Alternatively, the updating frequency controller 170 may detect a changein first information stored in the first-information storage unit 120and determine timing at which the first information will be updated.

The updating frequency controller 170 may also control the updating ofsecond information stored in the second-information storage unit 130 inaccordance with a change in the second information stored in thesecond-information storage unit 130. For example, if it is necessary toobtain second information to be stored in the second-information storageunit 130 from another information processing apparatus, the updatingfrequency controller 170 performs control so that the communication unit110 will request another information processing apparatus to send a newversion of second information to be stored in the second-informationstorage unit 130. The updating frequency controller 170 also performscontrol so that the communication unit 110 will receive secondinformation from another information processing apparatus.

The updating frequency controller 170 may control the frequency ofupdating of second information stored in the second-information storageunit 130 in accordance with a value output from the average valuecalculator 160. For example, the updating frequency controller 170 maycontrol the frequency of updating of second information stored in thesecond-information storage unit 130 in accordance with an amount ofchange per unit time output from the average value calculator 160. Thatis, the updating frequency controller 170 may perform control so thatthe frequency of updating of second information will be changed on thebasis of a predetermined value contained in the second information.

In the second-information storage unit 130, information obtained by aninformation obtaining apparatus, such as a sensor, provided in thewireless communication apparatus 100 may be stored. In this case, theupdating frequency controller 170 may control the operating period ofthe information obtaining apparatus. The information obtaining apparatusmay be a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, a gyro sensor, anacceleration sensor, a temperature sensor, or an air pressure sensor.For example, a change in the air pressure is small for a personconstantly working in the fourth floor of a building, while a change inthe air pressure is large for a person who may be up and down in thebuilding to deliver parcels. It is thus assumed that there is not muchchange in the second information of a wireless communication apparatusowned by a person constantly working in the fourth floor of a building.Thus, the updating frequency controller 170 sets a long operating periodof the information obtaining apparatus so that the second informationwill not be frequently updated.

It is assumed, for example, that second information to be stored in thesecond-information storage unit 130 is obtained from another informationprocessing apparatus (e.g., a server) and is updated. In this case, ifthe second information is frequently updated even if there is not muchchange in the second information, communication resources or powerconsumed by using a communication function are wasted. Similarly, ifsecond information to be stored in the second-information storage unit130 is obtained from an information obtaining apparatus, such as asensor, and is updated, and if it is frequently updated even if there isnot much change in the second information, power consumed in theinformation obtaining apparatus is wasted. Accordingly, if a change inthe second information is small, the updating frequency controller 170may preferably perform control so that the frequency of obtaining of thesecond information will be decreased. The updating frequency controller170 is an example of a controller.

The position information obtaining unit 180 obtains information(position information) concerning the position at which the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 is disposed, and outputs obtained positioninformation to the area determining unit 190. As the positioninformation obtaining unit 180, a GPS receiver that receives a GPSsignal and calculates position information (e.g., information concerningthe latitude, longitude, and height) on the basis of this GPS signal maybe used. The position information obtaining unit 180 may obtain, via aserver, data related to identification information concerning a basestation connected to the wireless communication apparatus 100 (suchidentification information has been obtained by the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100), and may utilize position informationspecified by the data related to this identification information.

The area determining unit 190 determines, on the basis of the positioninformation obtained by the position information obtaining unit 180,whether or not the area in which the wireless communication apparatus100 is disposed will be changed, and outputs determination results tothe updating frequency controller 170. For example, if the areadetermining unit 190 determines that the area in which the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 is disposed will be changed, it outputs thedetermination results (information) indicating that the area will bechanged to the updating frequency controller 170.

It is assumed that the first information (e.g., map information) storedin the first-information storage unit 120 is divided and managed inunits of areas. In this case, if information indicating that the area inwhich the wireless communication apparatus 100 is disposed will bechanged is received from the area determining unit 190, the updatingfrequency controller 170 performs control so that the first informationstored in the first-information storage unit 120 will be updated. Morespecifically, the updating frequency controller 170 performs control sothat the communication unit 110 will send a request signal for receivinga new version of first information to another information processingapparatus (e.g., a map information providing server). Upon receivingthis request signal, the information processing apparatus selects anitem of first information concerning a new area contained in the requestsignal (e.g., map information concerning the new area) from among itemsof first information (e.g., map information) managed in units of areas,and sends the selected item of first information to the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100. The area determining unit 190 is an exampleof a determining unit.

The updating information manager 200 stores items of data used forcategorizing and managing items of information as first information andsecond information to be stored in the first-information storage unit120 and the second-information storage unit 130, respectively. The itemsof data stored in the updating information manager 200 are updated bythe updating frequency controller 170 when necessary. The items of datastored in the updating information manager 200 are also supplied to theupdating frequency controller 170 and the communication unit 110. Themanagement content of the updating information manager 200 will bediscussed in detail later with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B. Theupdating information manager 200 is an example of a manager.

“Example of Management Content of Updating Information Manager”

FIGS. 2A and 2B schematically illustrate management content of theupdating information manager 200 of the first embodiment of the presenttechnology. FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate an example in which the categorytype of information is changed from that shown in FIG. 2A to that shownin FIG. 2B.

The updating information manager 200 categorizes and manages items ofinformation as first information and second information to be stored inthe first and second information storage units 120 and 130,respectively, and also stores items of data used for managing the firstand second information. In FIGS. 2A and 2B, for a simple representation,only three items of information, such as map information, acommunication carrier name, and a communication rate, are shown as itemsof information concerning wireless communication.

The updating information manager 200 includes fields, such asidentification (ID) information 201, a name 202, an updating interval203, a latest update time 204, and a category type 205. Items of data ofsuch fields are stored in the updating information manager 200 inassociation with each other.

The ID information 201 is information for identifying an item ofinformation concerning wireless communication. The name 202 is assignedto an item of information concerning wireless communication.

The updating interval 203 is a value indicating the interval at which anitem of information concerning a wireless communication apparatus isupdated.

The latest update time 204 is a time at which an item of informationconcerning a wireless communication apparatus was previously updated.

The category type 205 is information indicating the category type of anitem of information, i.e., first information or second information. Ifthe category type 205 indicates “1”, the associated item of informationis first information. If the category type 205 indicates “2”, theassociated item of information is second information.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, map information (having ID information201 “M001”) in which the category type 205 indicates “1” is categorizedas first information. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 2A, thecommunication carrier name (having ID information 201 “C002”) and thecommunication rate (having ID information 201 “CR03”) in which thecategory type 205 indicates “2” are categorized as second information.

In this case, concerning an item of information (first information) inwhich the category type 205 indicates “1”, an operation for obtaining(e.g., downloading) such an item of information is performed on thebasis of the content of the updating interval 203 (e.g., one hour),regardless of the communication quality of a location of the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100.

Concerning an item of information (second information) in which thecategory type 205 indicates “2”, an operation for obtaining (e.g.,downloading) such an item of information (second information) is alsoperformed on the basis of the content of the updating interval 203(e.g., one hour). However, concerning the second information, during anupdating interval, an operation for obtaining (e.g., downloading) thesecond information may be performed at a position at which thecommunication quality of a location of the wireless communicationapparatus 100 satisfies a certain level, or at a time at which thecommunication quality satisfies a certain level. If the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 is capable of detecting the congestion levelof a base station, an operation for obtaining (e.g., downloading) thesecond information may be performed at a location point or time at whichthe congestion of the base station is lighter. With this operation, itis possible to perform updating processing for second information byrestricting a burden imposed on a wireless communication network to aminimal level.

In this manner, the updating frequency controller 170 performs controlso that first information and second information will be updated withdifferent frequencies. In this case, the updating frequency controller170 performs control so that the updating frequency of first informationmay be lower than that of second information.

“Example of Display Screen of First Embodiment”

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a display screen (display screen 210)of the display unit 150 according to the first embodiment of the presenttechnology.

The display screen 210 is an example of a display screen wheninformation generated by the information combining unit 140 (superposedinformation) is displayed on the display unit 150.

For example, in a situation in which the amount of movement of thewireless communication apparatus 100 (the amount of movement of a userowning the wireless communication apparatus 100) is small, backgroundmap information is handled as first information to be stored in thefirst-information storage unit 120. In contrast, items of informationconcerning the communication rates displayed on the map are handled assecond information (i.e., information to be dynamically updated) to bestored in the second-information storage unit 130.

In FIG. 3, an example is shown in which balloon images 211 through 213containing numeric values indicating communication rates andcommunication carrier names stored in the second-information storageunit 130 are displayed such that they are superposed on the map. Thecommunication rates stored in the second-information storage unit 130may be indicated, not by numeric values, but by meters, icons, differentcolors representing the communication rates.

Not only communication rates, but also information indicating theintensity of a received signal or the signal quality calculated on thebasis of the intensity of a received signal and the intensity of aninterference signal may be displayed on the map. In this case, all orsome of these items of information may be displayed. Such items ofinformation may be indicated by numeric values, meters, icons, differentcolors.

Additionally, numeric values or expressions obtained by relativelyevaluating the congestion of people, vehicles, trains, or stores,information concerning the temperature, humidity, or weather, orinformation concerning a situation of a certain location point may bedisplayed as second information on map information.

“Example of Area Determining Processing when Movement Speed is Slow”

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate an example of area determining processingperformed by the area determining unit 190 according to the firstembodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 4A illustrates a simplified association between a map and areainformation used for area determining processing performed by the areadetermining unit 190. FIG. 4B illustrates only ID information(coordinates) for identifying individual areas forming the areainformation shown in FIG. 4A. For example, the ID information(coordinates) of the area disposed at the center of the area informationshown in FIG. 4A is “24-35”.

It is now assumed that the wireless communication apparatus 100 ispositioned at A point (indicated by A in a circle in FIG. 4A) on the mapshown in FIG. 4A. It is noted that a position (indicated by, e.g., thelatitude and the longitude) at which the wireless communicationapparatus 100 is located can be determined on the basis of positioninformation obtained by the position information obtaining unit 180. Inthis case, the updating frequency controller 170 performs control on thebasis of an instruction of the area determining unit 190 so that the mapof the area corresponding to the ID information “24-35” will bedownloaded. Then, the map of the area corresponding to the IDinformation “24-35” is downloaded by the communication unit 110 andstored in the first-information storage unit 120.

The area determining unit 190 is able to suitably identify a situationof the movement of the wireless communication apparatus 100, on thebasis of position information obtained by the position informationobtaining unit 180.

It is now assumed that the wireless communication apparatus 100 willmove from A point to B point, as indicated by an arrow 221. In thiscase, the area determining unit 190 predicts that the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 will move to an area corresponding to IDinformation “24-34” (i.e., an area immediately above the areacorresponding to “24-35”). Then, the area determining unit 190 instructsthe updating frequency controller 170 to download map informationconcerning the area corresponding to the ID information “24-34”. In thiscase, the map of the area corresponding to the ID information “24-34” isdownloaded by using the communication unit 110 and is stored in thefirst-information storage unit 120.

A description will now be given of criteria for determining timing atwhich map information of an area adjacent to an area in which thewireless communication apparatus 100 is positioned will be downloaded.For example, when the wireless communication apparatus 100 has reachedwithin a predetermined range (e.g., 500 m) from a boundary between thearea in which the wireless communication apparatus 100 is positioned andan adjacent area, it can be determined that map information concerningthe adjacent area will be downloaded.

In FIGS. 4A and 4B, for a simple representation, the same item of areainformation is not contained in a plurality of areas obtained bydividing the map. However, the same item of area information may becontained in areas adjacent to each other. In this case, immediatelyafter the wireless communication apparatus 100 has reached an adjacentarea, it can be determined that map information concerning the adjacentarea will be downloaded.

Concerning second information stored in the second-information storageunit 130, the updating frequency controller 170 may perform control sothat items of second information will be downloaded regularly orirregularly. Concerning first information stored in thefirst-information storage unit 120, the updating frequency controller170 may perform control, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, so that items offirst information will be downloaded in response to an instruction fromthe area determining unit 190.

“Example of Area Determining Processing when Movement Speed is Fast”

An example in which the user of the wireless communication apparatus 100is moving at a relatively slow speed has been discussed with referenceto FIGS. 4A and 4B. In contrast, if the user of the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 is in a bullet train, for example, it can beassumed that the user is moving at a relatively fast speed. An exampleof an operation for downloading map information when the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 is moving at a relatively fast speed will begiven with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate an example of area determining processingperformed by the area determining unit 190 according to the firstembodiment of the present technology. The association between areainformation shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B and a map is similar to that shownin FIGS. 4A and 4B, and an explanation thereof will thus be omitted.

It is assumed that the wireless communication apparatus 100 ispositioned at C point (indicated by C in a circle in FIG. 5A) on the mapshown in FIG. 5A. It is also assumed that the user of the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 is moving to D point (indicated by D in acircle in FIG. 5A) on the map in a relatively short period of time sincethe user is in a bullet train. The route of the movement of the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 is indicated by an arrow 222.

The area determining unit 190 is able to determine the movement speed ofthe wireless communication apparatus 100 on the basis of positioninformation obtained by the position information obtaining unit 180.

If the obtained movement speed of the wireless communication apparatus100 is higher than a threshold, the area determining unit 190 mayinstruct the updating frequency controller 170 to switch the categorytype of map information from first information to second information.

If the area determining unit 190 may estimate, from the movement speedof the wireless communication apparatus 100, a route through which thewireless communication apparatus 100 will be passing in a short periodof time. In this case, if the estimated route is longer than athreshold, the area determining unit 190 may instruct the updatingfrequency controller 170 to switch the category type of map informationfrom first information to second information.

In this manner, when changing the category type of map information, theupdating frequency controller 170 changes the category type 205 of mapinformation from “1” to “2”, as shown in FIG. 2B. In this case, theupdating interval 203 may be fixed. Alternatively, it may be variable sothat it will be overwritten in accordance with an instruction from thearea determining unit 190.

With this operation, even when the wireless communication apparatus 100is moving at a fast speed, appropriate map information corresponding tothe movement of the wireless communication apparatus 100 can be suitablydisplayed on the wireless communication apparatus 100.

“Example of Calculation of Average Value”

FIGS. 6A and 6B schematically illustrate an approach to calculatingaverage values by the average value calculator 160 according to thefirst embodiment of the present technology.

In FIG. 6A, “0” s and “1” s are indicated in a time series manner in acase in which the occurrence of a certain phenomenon is indicated by “1”and the non-occurrence of this phenomenon is indicated by “0”. In thegraph of FIG. 6A, the horizontal axis represents the time axis, and thevertical axis represents the numeric value (“1” or “0”) indicating theoccurrence or the non-occurrence of a certain phenomenon.

In this example, the vehicle congestion will be quantified, and thepassage of a vehicle at a certain location point is considered as theoccurrence of a phenomenon. In this case, when a vehicle passes througha certain point, the occurrence of a certain phenomenon is “1”, and whena vehicle does not pass through a certain point, the occurrence of acertain phenomenon is “0”.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 6A, in a time zone in which vehiclesfrequently pass, the density of “1” s is high, while in a time zone inwhich vehicles hardly pass, the density of “0” s is high. Although suchtime zones can be identified by the graph of FIG. 6A, it is difficult toidentify the vehicle congestion as numeric values. If the data items aredigitized, the vehicle congestion may be easily identified.

FIG. 6B illustrates average values calculated from the data items shownin FIG. 6A in a time series manner. In FIG. 6B, average values atintervals of ten minutes are calculated by way of example. In the graphof FIG. 6B, the horizontal axis represents the time axis, and thevertical axis represents the average value calculated from the numericvalues (“1” and “0”) indicating the occurrence and the non-occurrence ofa certain phenomenon.

From the calculated average values at intervals of ten minutes shown inFIG. 6B, it can be clearly understood that the vehicle congestion isgradually increasing. In this manner, if average values are calculatedby the average value calculator 160, the occurrence and thenon-occurrence of a certain phenomenon can be clearly identified.

For example, when the average value is 0.1 or smaller, it can be assumedthat there is no vehicle congestion, since hardly any vehicle passes.Accordingly, the updating frequency controller 170 determines that it isnot necessary to frequently update second information. In this case, byconsidering power consumption, the updating frequency controller 170 maydecrease the updating frequency of communication resources.

In FIGS. 6A and 6B, average values are calculated for the vehiclecongestion. Likewise, average values may also be calculated for thecongestion in a train or a store, or the congestion of wirelesscommunication resources in a base station. That is, concerning items ofsecond information stored in the second-information storage unit 130,the average value calculator 160 calculates average values atpredetermined time intervals (e.g., ten minutes) according to theinformation category type. The average value calculator 160 then outputsthe calculation results to the updating frequency controller 170.

“Example of Operation of Wireless Communication Apparatus”

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure ofinformation updating processing performed by the wireless communicationapparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the presenttechnology.

First, in step S901, the updating frequency controller 170 selects oneitem of information from among items of information (first informationand second information) managed by the updating information manager 200.The selected item of information will be referred to as a “subject itemof information”. Then, in step S902, the updating frequency controller170 obtains items of data associated with the subject item ofinformation. In step S903, the updating frequency controller 170determines whether the time at which the subject item of information isupdated has arrived. For example, it is now assumed that the latestupdate time 204 (shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B) of the subject item ofinformation is “7:00” and that the updating interval 203 (shown in FIGS.2A and 2B) is “one hour”. In this case, if the current time is “8:00”,the updating frequency controller 170 determines that the time at whichthe subject item of information is updated has arrived.

If it is determined in step S903 that the time at which the subject itemof information is updated has arrived, the process proceeds to stepS904. In step S904, the updating frequency controller 170 performsupdating processing for the subject item of information. For example,the updating frequency controller 170 sends a request to send thesubject item of information to a different information processingapparatus, and performs control for obtaining a new version of thesubject item of information from the different information processingapparatus.

If it is determined in step S903 that the time at which the subject itemof information is updated has not yet arrived, the process proceeds tostep S905. In step S905, the updating frequency controller 170 refers tothe category type 205 (shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B) and determines whetherthe subject item of information is second information. If the subjectitem of information is not second information, the process proceeds tostep S910. If the subject item of information is second information, theprocess proceeds to step S906. In step S906, the updating frequencycontroller 170 calculates an average value of the subject item ofinformation stored in the second-information storage unit 130.

Then, in step S907, the updating frequency controller 170 determineswhether the calculated average value is equal to or smaller than athreshold. If the result of step S907 is YES, the process proceeds tostep S908. In step S908, the updating frequency controller 170 decreasesthe updating frequency of the subject item of information. For example,the updating frequency controller 170 increases the value of theupdating interval 203 (shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B). If it is determined instep S207 that the calculated average value is greater than thethreshold, the process proceeds to step S909. In step S909, the updatingfrequency controller 170 returns the updating frequency to the previousone. Step S909 is performed only when the updating frequency of thesubject item of information was decreased before. If the updatingfrequency of the subject item of information was not decreased before,it is not changed. In step S908, the updating frequency may be decreasedby degrees. For example, the updating frequency may be sequentiallydecreased over time.

In step S910, the updating frequency controller 170 determines whetherthe subject item of information is managed in units of areas. If theresult of step S910 is YES, the process proceeds to step S920. In stepS920, determination processing is performed. The determinationprocessing will be discussed in detail later with reference to FIG. 8.

It is then determined in step S911 whether an instruction to finishupdating has been given. If the result of step S911 is NO, the processreturns to step S901. If the result of step S911 is YES, the informationupdating processing has been completed. Steps S901 through S910 and stepS920 form an example of a control procedure.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating determination processing in step S920of FIG. 7 of the information updating processing performed by thewireless communication apparatus 100 according to the first embodimentof the present technology.

First, in step S921, the position information obtaining unit 180 obtainsposition information indicating the position at which the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 is located. Then, in step S922, the areadetermining unit 190 calculates the movement speed of the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 on the basis of the obtained positioninformation. The area determining unit 190 then determines in step S923whether the calculated movement speed is equal to or greater than athreshold.

If the calculated movement speed is smaller than the threshold, theprocess proceeds to step S924. In step S924, the updating frequencycontroller 170 determines whether the category type of the subject itemof information is first information. If the subject item of informationis not first information, the process proceeds to step S925. In stepS925, the updating frequency controller 170 changes the category type ofthe subject item of information to first information. For example, thecategory type 205 in the updating information manager 200 is changedfrom “2” to “1”.

Then, in step S926, the area determining unit 190 determines, on thebasis of the obtained position information, whether the area in whichthe wireless communication apparatus 100 is located will be changed. Ifthe area of the wireless communication apparatus 100 will not bechanged, the process returns to step S911. If the area of the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 will be changed, the process proceeds tostep S927. In step S927, the updating frequency controller 170 performscontrol for obtaining the subject item of information concerning anadjacent area. More specifically, the subject item of informationconcerning an adjacent area is downloaded from another informationprocessing apparatus and is stored in the first-information storage unit120.

If the area determining unit 190 determines in step S923 that thecalculated movement speed is equal to or greater than the threshold, theprocess proceeds to step S928. In step S928, the area determining unit190 estimates, from the movement speed, a route through which thewireless communication apparatus 100 will be passing in a short periodof time. Then, in step S929, the updating frequency controller 170determines whether the category type of the subject item of informationis second information. If the category type of the subject item ofinformation is not second information, the process proceeds to stepS930. In step S930, the updating frequency controller 170 changes thecategory type of the subject item of information to second information.For example, the category type 205 in the updating information manager200 is changed from “1” to “2”. In this case, for example, the subjectitem of information is changed from the state shown in FIG. 2A to thestate shown in FIG. 2B (indicated by the dotted-line rectangle in FIG.2B).

Then, in step S931, the area determining unit 190 determines whether itis necessary to obtain the subject item of information including theestimated route. If the result of step S931 is NO, the process returnsto step S911 of FIG. 7. If the result of step S931 is YES, the processproceeds to step S932. In step S932, the updating frequency controller170 performs control for obtaining the subject item of informationincluding the estimated route. More specifically, the subject item ofinformation including the estimated route is downloaded from anotherinformation processing apparatus and is stored in the second-informationstorage unit 130.

With the recent widespread use of smartphones (wireless communicationapparatuses), communication traffic is being increased. A device (e.g.,a GPS receiver) for detecting position information is installed in mostsmartphones. Accordingly, applications for sending and receivinggeographical information (e.g., map information) between a wirelesscommunication apparatus (e.g., a smartphone) and an informationprocessing apparatus by utilizing wireless communication are coming intowide use. For example, a proposal has been made for collecting items ofinformation related to position information as log information from awireless communication apparatus and for utilizing such log informationas collective intelligence.

With the widespread use of cloud services utilizing smart phones andcollective intelligence, communication traffic between a wirelesscommunication apparatus and a server is being increased. Due to such asharp increase in traffic, various problems have arisen, for example, itis difficult to obtain a sufficient communication rate necessary forproviding services in a specific area or at a specific time. With thisbackground, in an embodiment of the present technology, items ofgeographical information sent and received between a wirelesscommunication apparatus and an information processing apparatus aredivided into static information and dynamic information and the twotypes of information are separately processed, thereby making itpossible to reduce communication traffic. That is, it is possible tosuitably process geographical information concerning wirelesscommunication.

For example, when the user of a wireless communication apparatus iswalking, there may be almost no change in map information displayed on adisplay unit, and thus, the map information is not frequently updated.That is, the updating frequency of the map information is decreased.However, even when the user is walking, there may be some items ofinformation displayed on a map that may change considerably, and thus,such items of information are frequently updated.

In this manner, in the first embodiment of the present technology, itemsof information concerning wireless communication are divided into itemsof information (first information) having static characteristics inwhich a temporal change is small and items of information (secondinformation) having dynamic characteristics in which a temporal changeis large, and two types of information are separately processed. Withthis arrangement, the updating frequency of information having staticcharacteristics (first information) can be decreased, thereby making itpossible to reduce communication traffic.

Additionally, information having static characteristics (firstinformation) is managed in units of areas which are geographicallydivided. Thus, the first information is appropriately updated inaccordance with a change in the area in which a wireless communicationapparatus is located. The updating frequency of second informationhaving dynamic characteristics can be controlled in accordance with thequantity of second information. As a result, unnecessary communicationtraffic does not occur.

Moreover, wireless communication information obtained by separatelyprocessing information having static characteristics (first information)and information having dynamic characteristics (second information) canbe displayed. This enables a user to easily identify the obtainedwireless communication information.

2. Second Embodiment

In the first embodiment of the present technology, items of informationconcerning wireless communication are categorized and managed accordingto the type of information (first information and second information),and the timing at which each item of information is updated is changedaccording to the type of information. There is the following type ofcommunication system. Items of information concerning wirelesscommunication (e.g., second information) are sent to an informationprocessing apparatus from a plurality of wireless communicationapparatuses, and the information processing apparatus centrally managessuch items of information and provide them to the individual wirelesscommunication apparatuses. In this case, the timing at which informationconcerning wireless communication (e.g., second information) is sent tothe information processing apparatus is an influential factor.

Accordingly, in the second embodiment, the frequency with which secondinformation stored in a wireless communication apparatus is sent to aninformation processing apparatus is controlled. A wireless communicationapparatus in the second embodiment is an apparatus obtained by partiallymodifying the wireless communication apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1.Thus, the same elements as those of the wireless communication apparatus100 are designated by like reference numerals, and part of anexplanation thereof will be omitted.

“Example of Functional Configuration of Wireless Communication Apparatusof Second Embodiment”

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfiguration of a wireless communication apparatus 300 according to thesecond embodiment of the present technology.

The wireless communication apparatus 300 includes a sending frequencycontroller 310, a current-position information obtaining unit 320, acurrent-position information storage unit 330, a current-positionsecond-information extracting unit 340, and a current-positionsecond-information updating unit 350.

The communication unit 110 sends second information stored in thesecond-information storage unit 130 to another information processingapparatus (e.g., a server) (not shown) under the control of the sendingfrequency controller 310. In the information processing apparatus, itemsof second information sent from a plurality of wireless communicationapparatuses (including the wireless communication apparatus 300) arecollected. Then, the information processing apparatus manages collecteditems of second information and provide them to individual wirelesscommunication apparatuses as collective intelligence.

The sending frequency controller 310 controls the frequency with whichsecond information stored in the second-information storage unit 130 issent to an information processing apparatus. For example, if an item ofsecond information stored in the second-information storage unit 130changes by a large degree over time, the sending frequency controller310 may perform control so that such an item of second information willbe sent frequently. If an item of second information stored in thesecond-information storage unit 130 changes by a small degree over time,the sending frequency controller 310 may perform control so that such anitem of second information will not be sent frequently. A determinationas to whether or not an item of second information changes by a largedegree over time may be made on the basis of a change in values (averagevalues) calculated by the average value calculator 160. For example, inFIG. 6B, a change in the vehicle congestion is small during a time zonefrom 10 to 20 minutes, and thus, the sending frequency of the numericvalues indicating the vehicle congestion detected by the wirelesscommunication apparatus 300 can be decreased. Conversely, a change inthe vehicle congestion is large in a certain time zone, such as a timezone from 20 to 30 minutes or from 30 to 40 minutes, and thus, thesending frequency of the numeric values can be increased.

In this manner, when a situation does not change considerably, a user isnot likely to find a new item of information useful. In contrast, when asituation changes frequently, the user is likely to find a new item ofinformation useful. Thus, it is desirable that the sending frequencycontroller 310 controls the sending frequency of a certain item ofinformation on the basis of how much the user finds this item ofinformation useful.

Alternatively, the sending frequency controller 310 may control thesending frequency of an item of second information stored in thesecond-information storage unit 130 on the basis of the magnitude of avalue of such an item of second information. For example, if the valueof an item of second information stored in the second-informationstorage unit 130 is large, the sending frequency controller 310 mayperform control so that such an item of second information will be sentfrequently. If the value of an item of second information stored in thesecond-information storage unit 130 is small, the sending frequencycontroller 310 may perform control so that such an item of secondinformation will not be sent frequently.

A determination as to whether or not the value of an item of secondinformation stored in the second-information storage unit 130 is largemay be made on the basis of a change in values (average values)calculated by the average value calculator 160. For example, it isassumed that an item of second information stored in thesecond-information storage unit 130 indicates the congestion of a road,a train, or a store, or the congestion of wireless allocation resourcesto base stations. In this case, if the congestion level is not high, auser may not want such an item of second information to be updatedfrequently. In contrast, if the congestion level is high, a user maywant such an item of second information to be updated frequently sincethe user wishes to know exactly when the congestion will be reduced.

Alternatively, the sending frequency controller 310 may control thesending frequency of an item of second information stored in thesecond-information storage unit 130 on the basis of the data size ofsuch an item of second information. For example, concerning items ofdata having a data size of 100 kB or smaller, the sending frequencycontroller 310 may perform control that such items of data will be sentevery ten minutes. Concerning items of data exceeding a data size of 100kB, the sending frequency controller 310 may perform control that suchitems of data will be sent every one hour. With this arrangement, it ispossible to upload second information to an information processingapparatus (e.g., a server) by restricting a burden imposed on a wirelesscommunication network to a minimal level.

The current-position information obtaining unit 320 obtains variousitems of information concerning a position (current position) at whichthe wireless communication apparatus 300 is located. Thecurrent-position information obtaining unit 320 may obtain, for example,information indicating a user's subjective opinion input by a userconcerning the congestion of a road, a train or a store at a currentposition. The current-position information obtaining unit 320 may alsoreceive a signal from a certain base station and calculate the occupancyrate of wireless resources of the base station (the congestion level ofa base station). Items of information obtained by the current-positioninformation obtaining unit 320 are sequentially stored in thecurrent-position information storage unit 330 as time-seriesinformation.

The current-position information storage unit 330 stores thereininformation obtained by the current-position information obtaining unit320. Items of information stored in the current-position informationstorage unit 330 are sent to an information processing apparatus withthe frequency instructed by the sending frequency controller 310.

The current-position second-information extracting unit 340 extractssecond information (dynamic information components) by removing firstinformation (static information components) from items of informationstored in the current-position information storage unit 330.

The current-position second-information extracting unit 340 obtains data(e.g., the category type 205 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B) managed by theupdating information manager 200, checks the obtained data, and thenextracts items of second information from items of information stored inthe current-position information storage unit 330. The current-positionsecond-information extracting unit 340 then outputs the extracted itemsof second information to the current-position second-informationupdating unit 350.

The current-position second-information updating unit 350 reflects theitems of second information extracted by the current-positionsecond-information extracting unit 340 in items of second informationconcerning the current position among items of second informationobtained from an information processing apparatus via the communicationunit 110. The current-position second-information updating unit 350stores information (second information) obtained by reflecting the itemsof second information extracted by the current-positionsecond-information extracting unit 340 in the second-information storageunit 130.

In this case, it is desirable that the frequency with which thecurrent-position information obtaining unit 320 obtains information behigher than the second-information updating frequency set by theupdating frequency controller 170. In this manner, by controlling theupdating frequency, it is possible to increase the updating frequency ofinformation concerning a current position of the wireless communicationapparatus 300 without increasing traffic in performing communicationwith an information processing apparatus.

As described above, the sending frequency controller 310 is able toperform control so that the frequency with which second information issent to an information processing apparatus will be changed on the basisof the magnitude of a predetermined value contained in secondinformation.

“Example in which Sending Frequency is Controlled Based on DistanceBetween Wireless Communication Apparatus and Base Station”

Transmission power consumed in a wireless communication apparatusdiffers depending on the distance between the wireless communicationapparatus and a base station. As the distance between a wirelesscommunication apparatus and a base station is longer, more transmissionpower is consumed. Accordingly, in the following example, the sendingfrequency is controlled in accordance with the distance between awireless communication apparatus and a base station, thereby reducingtransmission power consumed in a wireless communication apparatus.

“Example of Functional Configuration of Wireless Communication Apparatusof Modified Example of Second Embodiment”

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfiguration of a wireless communication apparatus 400 according to thesecond embodiment of the present technology.

The wireless communication apparatus 400 includes a base-stationdistance obtaining unit 410 and a sending frequency controller 420.

The base-station distance obtaining unit 410 obtains a distance(relative distance) between the wireless communication apparatus 400 anda base station wirelessly connected to the wireless communicationapparatus 400, and outputs the obtained distance to the sendingfrequency controller 420.

The distance (relative distance) between the wireless communicationapparatus 400 and a base station wirelessly connected to the wirelesscommunication apparatus 400 may be calculated on the basis of path loss,the reception level of a pilot signal, the signal-to-interference ratio(SIR) of a synchronizing signal, or obtained position information. Thatis, the base-station distance obtaining unit 410 calculates a distancebetween the wireless communication apparatus 400 and a base stationwirelessly connected to the wireless communication apparatus 400 on thebasis of path loss, the reception level of a pilot signal, the SIR of asynchronizing signal, or obtained position information.

The sending frequency controller 420 controls the frequency with whichsecond information stored in the second-information storage unit 130 issent to an information processing apparatus on the basis of the relativedistance obtained by the base-station distance obtaining unit 410. Forexample, if the relative distance obtained by the base-station distanceobtaining unit 410 is equal to or smaller than a first threshold, thesending frequency controller 420 increases the sending frequency.Conversely, if the relative distance obtained by the base-stationdistance obtaining unit 410 is equal to or greater than a secondthreshold, the sending frequency controller 420 decreases the sendingfrequency. In this case, the first threshold is equal to or smaller thanthe second threshold. That is, the sending frequency controller 420increases the sending frequency when the distance (relative distance)between the wireless communication apparatus 400 and a base stationconnected to the wireless communication apparatus 400 is short, and thesending frequency controller 420 decreases the sending frequency whenthe relative distance is long.

That is, as stated above, when the distance between the wirelesscommunication apparatus 400 and a base station connected to the wirelesscommunication apparatus 400 is short, less transmission power isconsumed. In contrast, when the distance between the wirelesscommunication apparatus 400 and a base station connected to the wirelesscommunication apparatus 400 is long, more transmission power isconsumed. Accordingly, the frequency with which second informationstored in the second-information storage unit 130 is sent to aninformation processing apparatus by utilizing wireless communication iscontrolled in accordance with the distance between the wirelesscommunication apparatus 400 and a base station connected to the wirelesscommunication apparatus 400. As a result, power consumed in the wirelesscommunication apparatus 400 can be reduced.

When the distance between the wireless communication apparatus 400 and abase station connected to the wireless communication apparatus 400 isshort, the influence of thermal noise or the intensity of aninterference signal from an adjacent cell on the intensity of a receivedsignal is small. It is thus possible to obtain high-precisioninformation concerning the communication quality. Thus, the frequencywith which second information stored in the second-information storageunit 130 is sent to an information processing apparatus (e.g., a server)is controlled in accordance with the distance between the wirelesscommunication apparatus 400 and a base station connected to the wirelesscommunication apparatus 400, thereby making it possible for a server tocollect many items of high-precision information. As a result, it ispossible to provide high-precision information to a certain wirelesscommunication apparatus.

In this manner in the second embodiment, the frequency with whichinformation having dynamic characteristics having a large temporalchange (second information) is sent to an information processingapparatus (e.g., a server) is controlled. Accordingly, information whichis less useful for a user is sent less frequently, thereby reducingcommunication traffic.

3. Third Embodiment

In the first embodiment, information obtained by combining firstinformation with second information (superposed information) isdisplayed on a display unit. A display screen for switching the wirelesscommunication method or contract authentication information may bedisplayed as superposed information.

Accordingly, in a third embodiment of the present technology, thewireless communication method or contract authentication information maybe switched by utilizing a display screen. A wireless communicationapparatus in the third embodiment is an apparatus obtained by partiallymodifying the wireless communication apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1.Thus, the same elements as those of the wireless communication apparatus100 are designated by like reference numerals, and part of anexplanation thereof will be omitted.

“Example of Functional Configuration of Wireless Communication Apparatusof Third Embodiment”

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfiguration of a wireless communication apparatus 500 according to thethird embodiment of the present technology.

The wireless communication apparatus 500 includes an operation receiver510, a contract authentication information setting unit 520, and awireless communication method setting unit 530.

As described in the first embodiment, superposed information generatedby the information combining unit 140 is displayed on the display unit150. For example, on the display unit 150, a plurality of wirelesscommunication service names and communication qualities and costsprovided by such communication services are displayed. An example ofsuch a display screen is shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B.

The wireless communication service names are not restricted tocommunication carrier names, but may be communication method names,abbreviations thereof, or trade names thereof. Examples of thecommunication method names are Global System for Mobile Communications(GSM) (registered trade name), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)2000, Wideband (W)-CDMA, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(UMTS), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed PacketAccess Plus (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and LTE-Advanced.Abbreviations and trade names of such communication method names mayalso be used.

Examples of the communication quality are the received power intensity,throughput, transmission speed, SIR, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), CommonPilot Channel Energy per Chip to Noise Ratio (Ec/No), Common PilotChannel Energy per Chip to Interference Ratio (Ec/Io). Values convertedfrom numeric values of such indexes may also be used as thecommunication quality.

As the communication cost, a fee for the provision of a wirelesscommunication service for one time, a communication unit price perpacket, or a communication unit price per unit time may be used.

The operation receiver 510 receives an input operation performed by auser, and outputs a signal indicating the content of the input operationreceived by the operation receiver 510 to the contract authenticationinformation setting unit 520 and the wireless communication methodsetting unit 530. The operation receiver 510 includes various keys, suchas a numeric keyboard and alphabet keys. The operation receiver 510 andthe display unit 150 may be integrally formed by using a touch panelwhich enables a user to input the content of an operation by bringing afinger to contact or close to a display screen of the touch panel. Forexample, the operation receiver 510 receives the input of a selectionoperation for selecting one of a plurality of wireless communicationservices displayed on the display unit 150. In FIGS. 12A and 12B, anexample in which a user performs an input operation by using a touchpanel is shown.

The contract authentication information setting unit 520 sets contractauthentication information so that a wireless communication serviceselected through the input of a selection operation received by theoperation receiver 510 can be utilized.

The contract authentication information is information necessary toconnect to a wireless communication network managed by a communicationcarrier. The contract authentication information includes, for example,telephone subscriber information and authentication key information. Thecontract authentication information is, for example, UniversalSubscriber Identity Module (USIM).

If valid contract authentication information is set in the wirelesscommunication apparatus 500, it means that an access right (rewritable)to connect to a predetermined network (e.g., a public network) byutilizing wireless communication has been set. An access right is aright to connect to a base station run by a communication carrier on thebasis of contract authentication information necessary for a user toconnect to the base station.

In the third embodiment, USIM is used as contract authenticationinformation. However, the contract authentication information is notrestricted to USIM, and another type of contract authenticationinformation may be used. For example, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)which can be downloaded by using software (e.g., software downloadableSIM) may be utilized. Examples of SIM which can be downloaded by usingsoftware are Machine Communication Identity Module (MCIM) and rewritableSIM.

It is now assumed that a USIM card fitting unit to which a plurality ofUSIM cards are attachable is provided in the wireless communicationapparatus 500. In this case, the contract authentication informationsetting unit 520 switches among multiple USIM cards attached to the USIMcard fitting unit so that one of the multiple USIM cards may be valid,thereby setting contract authentication information selected through aselection operation.

It is now assumed that, alternatively, a dedicated memory in which aplurality of items of USIM information are stored by using software isprovided in the wireless communication apparatus 500. In this case, thecontract authentication information setting unit 520 switches among theplurality of items of USIM information so that only one item of USIMinformation may be valid and the other items of USIM information may beinvalid, thereby setting contract authentication information selectedthrough a selection operation.

It is now assumed that, alternatively, a dedicated memory into which oneor a plurality of items of USIM information are written by usingsoftware is provided in the wireless communication apparatus 500. Inthis case, the contract authentication information setting unit 520receives contract authentication information selected through aselection operation from an information processing apparatus (e.g., aserver run by a communication carrier corresponding to the selectedcontract authentication information). The contract authenticationinformation setting unit 520 then overwrites the content of thededicated memory by the received contract authentication information,thereby setting contract authentication information.

The wireless communication method setting unit 530 sets a wirelesscommunication method so that a wireless communication service selectedthrough the input of a selection operation received by the operationreceiver 510 can be utilized. For example, if a wireless communicationservice different from a current wireless communication service isselected, the wireless communication method setting unit 530 changes thesetting of a wireless communication unit (not shown) so that connectioncan be made by utilizing a wireless communication method correspondingto the selected wireless communication service.

Examples of the wireless communication method are a CDMA method and anOFDM method. The wireless communication method also includescommunication standards, such as GSM, CDMA2000, 1X, EV-DO, W-CDMA,HSDPA, HSPA, HSPA+, LTE, LTE-Advanced, and IEEE802.11a/b/g/n/ac.

“Examples of Display Screen of Third Embodiment”

FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrate examples of a display screen displayed onthe display unit 150 of the third embodiment. In FIGS. 12A and 12B, anexample in which the wireless communication service (contractauthentication information) is switched in response to a user operationis shown.

On the display unit 150, as superposed information generated by theinformation combining unit 140, a plurality of wireless communicationservice names and communication qualities provided by such communicationservices, for example, are indicated on a map 151. For example, on thedisplay unit 150, a plurality of wireless communication service names(two communication carriers (communication carrier A and communicationcarrier B)) and communication qualities provided by such communicationcarriers (communication rates (indicated by Mbps)) are displayed on themap 151.

Among the plurality of wireless communication service names(communication carrier A and communication carrier B), a currently setwireless communication service name is indicated in bold type, while theother wireless communication service names are indicated in pale gray.The display content on the map 151 is similar to that shown in FIG. 3,except that a plurality of wireless communication service names areindicated and that a currently set wireless communication service nameand the other wireless communication service names are indicated indifferent display modes.

In this manner, a currently set communication carrier name is visuallydistinguished from the other communication carrier names displayed onthe map 151, thereby allowing a user to easily identify the currentlyset communication carrier name. On part of the display screen, thecurrently set communication carrier name may be displayed as characters,an icon, a log, etc. In FIGS. 12A and 12B, the currently setcommunication carrier name is displayed as characters in a wirelesscommunication service name display region 152 by way of example.

That is, the wireless communication service name display region 152 is aregion in which a wireless communication service name corresponding tocurrently set contract authentication information is displayed.

FIG. 12A shows a display example in which contract authenticationinformation (e.g., USIM) for receiving a communication service of thecommunication carrier A is set.

For example, in the state shown in FIG. 12A, a user touches a portioncorresponding to the communication carrier B (gray character portionwithin a balloon image) on the map 151. In response to this touchingoperation, the contract authentication information setting unit 520performs control for setting contract authentication informationnecessary to receive a communication service of the communicationcarrier B. When the contract authentication information for receiving acommunication service of the communication carrier B is set in thismanner, the display state of the display unit 150 is changed from thestate shown in FIG. 12A to the state shown in FIG. 12B.

As described above, in the third embodiment of the present technology,it is possible to easily select a wireless communication service desiredby a user by utilizing information displayed on the display unit 150.

In FIGS. 12A and 12B, a user presses a portion of a touch panelcorresponding to character information or an icon indicating acommunication carrier name (or a communication service name) displayedon the display unit 150, thereby selecting a desired wirelesscommunication service name. Alternatively, by pressing a specific key ofa keyboard associated with a communication carrier name or acommunication service name, a desired wireless communication service maybe selected.

Alternatively, on the basis of information items (e.g., communicationquality and cost) included in superposed information generated by theinformation combining unit 140, one of a plurality of wirelesscommunication services may be automatically selected and set. An exampleof such a modification is shown in FIG. 13.

“Example of Functional Configuration of Wireless Communication Apparatusof Modified Example of Third Embodiment”

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfiguration of a wireless communication apparatus 550 according to thethird embodiment of the present technology. The wireless communicationapparatus 550 shown in FIG. 13 is similar to the wireless communicationapparatus 500 shown in FIG. 11, except that a wireless communicationservice selector 560 is used instead of the operation receiver 510 shownin FIG. 11. Thus, the same elements as those of the wirelesscommunication apparatus 500 are designated by like reference numerals,and part of an explanation thereof will be omitted.

As stated above, the wireless communication service selector 560 isprovided in the wireless communication apparatus 550.

The wireless communication service selector 560 automatically selectsone of a plurality of wireless communication services on the basis ofvarious items of information (e.g., communication quality and cost)included in superposed information generated by the informationcombining unit 140. The wireless communication service selector 560 thenoutputs selection results to the contract authentication informationsetting unit 520 and the wireless communication method setting unit 530.

For example, the wireless communication service selector 560 selects awireless communication service which satisfies predetermined conditionsset for items of information (e.g., communication quality and cost)included in superposed information generated by the informationcombining unit 140. The wireless communication service which satisfiespredetermined conditions may be a wireless communication serviceprovided by a communication carrier offering the best communicationquality in an area in which the wireless communication apparatus 550 islocated. The wireless communication service which satisfiespredetermined conditions may be a wireless communication serviceprovided by a communication carrier offering the least expensivecommunication cost in an area in which the wireless communicationapparatus 550 is located.

In this manner, the wireless communication service selector 560 is ableto automatically select a wireless communication service on the basis ofthe magnitude of a numeric value of a certain item of information (e.g.,communication quality or cost) included in superposed informationgenerated by the information combining unit 140.

The contract authentication information setting unit 520 sets contractauthentication information so that the wireless communication serviceselected by the wireless communication service selector 560 can beutilized. The wireless communication method setting unit 530 sets awireless communication method so that the wireless communication serviceselected by the wireless communication service selector 560 can beutilized.

In this manner, the information combining unit 140 generates informationconcerning one or a plurality of wireless communication services as newinformation and displays the generated new information on the displayunit 150. When one of a plurality of wireless communication services isset, the contract authentication information setting unit 520 or thewireless communication method setting unit 530 performs settingprocessing for utilizing the selected wireless communication service.Each of the contract authentication information setting unit 520 and thewireless communication method setting unit 530 is an example of asetting unit.

As described above, in the third embodiment of the present technology,by utilizing information concerning wireless communication, a wirelesscommunication service that a user considers optimal can be easilyselected. Additionally, by utilizing information concerning wirelesscommunication, a wireless communication service which is considered tobe optimal can be automatically selected.

4. Fourth Embodiment

In the first through third embodiments, an example in which the updatingfrequency or the sending frequency is controlled has been discussed. Inthis case, a wireless communication apparatus itself determines theupdating frequency or the sending frequency. However, the sendingfrequency in a wireless communication apparatus may be specified by aninformation processing apparatus.

In a fourth embodiment of the present technology, an example in whichthe sending frequency in a wireless communication apparatus is specifiedby an information processing apparatus will be discussed. A wirelesscommunication apparatus in the fourth embodiment is an apparatusobtained by partially modifying the wireless communication apparatus 100shown in FIG. 1. Thus, the same elements as those of the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 are designated by like reference numerals,and part of an explanation thereof will be omitted.

“Example of Configuration of Communication System”

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the systemconfiguration of a communication system 600 according to the fourthembodiment of the present technology.

The communication system 600 includes wireless communication apparatuses100 through 103, a network 610, a communication control apparatus 620,base stations 621 and 622, and a server 700.

The network 610 is a communication network (e.g., a public network),such as a telephone network, the Internet, etc. The network 610 and thecommunication control apparatus 620 are connected to each other via agateway (not shown).

The server 700 is an information processing apparatus which sends andreceives various items of information to and from the wirelesscommunication apparatuses 100 through 103 which are connected to theserver 700 via the base station 621 or 622 and the communication controlapparatus 620. The server 700 may be connected to the communicationcontrol apparatus 620 via the network 610.

The server 700 may be managed by, for example, a communication carrierwhich provides wireless connection services, such as an MVNO.

The communication control apparatus 620 is managed by a communicationcarrier (e.g., communication carrier A) providing wireless connectionservices. The communication control apparatus 620 controls the basestations 621 and 622 and performs authentication control of the wirelesscommunication apparatuses 100 through 103 connected to the communicationcontrol apparatus 620 via the base station 621 or 622. The communicationcontrol apparatus 620 also connects an authenticated wirelesscommunication apparatus with the network 610. The communication carrieris, for example, a mobile network operator, which provides wirelessconnection services.

The communication control apparatus 620 authenticates only wirelesscommunication apparatuses that possess valid contract authenticationinformation among wireless communication apparatuses connected to thecommunication control apparatus 620 via the base station 621 or 622,except for a specific case, such as a case in which a call for emergencyuse (e.g., a call for the police or an ambulance) has been received.

The communication control apparatus 620 sends various items ofinformation received from the wireless communication apparatuses 100through 103 via the base station 621 or 622 to the server 700. Thecommunication control apparatus 620 also sends various items ofinformation received from the server 700 to the wireless communicationapparatuses 100 through 103 via the base station 621 or 622.

Each of the base stations 621 and 622 is run by a communication carrierand is a mobile network base station (Node B or Evolved Node B (eNodeB))that connects, via a wireless network, the communication controlapparatus 620 with the corresponding wireless communication apparatuses100 through 103 which possess valid contract authentication informationsupplied from a communication carrier.

The wireless communication apparatuses 100 through 103 are mobile phones(e.g., mobile phones or smartphones having a telephone function and adata communication function) or data communication devices having awireless communication function (e.g., PCs). The wireless communicationapparatuses 100 through 103 are formed similarly to one another.Accordingly, the wireless communication apparatus 100 will be mainlydescribed below, and part of an explanation of the wirelesscommunication apparatuses 101 through 103 will be omitted.

It is assumed that contract authentication information necessary toconnect to a wireless communication network managed by a communicationcarrier (e.g., communication carrier A) which runs the communicationcontrol apparatus 620 is set in each of the wireless communicationapparatuses 100 through 103 on the basis of a contract agreed upon whichthe wireless communication apparatuses 100 through 103 have agreed withthe communication carrier.

The wireless communication apparatuses 100 through 103 are connected tothe base station 621 or 622 via, for example, a wireless network, andare connected to the communication control apparatus 620 via the basestation 621 or 622.

Although, only one communication carrier is shown in FIG. 14 for asimple representation, two or more communication carriers may beprovided in the communication system 600. Additionally, although onlytwo base stations 621 and 622 are shown in FIG. 14 for a simplerepresentation, three or more base stations run by communicationcarriers may be provided in the communication system 600.

“Example of Functional Configuration of Communication System”

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfiguration of the communication system 600 according to the fourthembodiment of the present technology. The communication system 600includes the wireless communication apparatus 100 and the server 700.

The server 700 includes a communication unit 710, a first-informationstorage unit 720, a second-information storage unit 730, asecond-information obtaining unit 740, a first-information extractingunit 750, an averaging time setting unit 760, an average valuecalculator 770, and a sending frequency notifying unit 780.

The communication unit 710 sends and receives various items ofinformation to and from the wireless communication apparatus 100 byutilizing wireless communication. For example, the communication unit710 outputs information received from the wireless communicationapparatus 100 to the second-information obtaining unit 740. Thecommunication unit 710 also notifies the wireless communicationapparatus 100 of the sending frequency of second information in responseto an instruction from the sending frequency notifying unit 780.

The first-information storage unit 720 stores therein first information(information which concerns wireless communication and which changes bya small degree over time). The second-information storage unit 730stores therein second information (information which concerns wirelesscommunication and which changes by a large degree over time). That is,information which changes by a small degree over time is stored in thefirst-information storage unit 720 and is processed, and informationwhich changes by a large degree over time is stored in thesecond-information storage unit 730 and is processed. Thesecond-information storage unit 730 is an example of a storage unit.

The second-information obtaining unit 740 selects and obtains items ofsecond information from among items of information received from one ora plurality of wireless communication apparatuses (including thewireless communication apparatuses 100 through 103), and outputs theobtained items of second information to the first-information extractingunit 750 and the averaging time setting unit 760.

The first-information extracting unit 750 extracts information havingstatic characteristics (first information) which is contained in theitems of second information obtained by the second-information obtainingunit 740, and stores the extracted information (first information) inthe first-information storage unit 720.

The first-information extracting unit 750 can extract information havingstatic characteristics (first information) by calculating an averagevalue of items of second information over a sufficiently long period.For example, the first-information extracting unit 750 may calculate avalue indicating static characteristics at the same point, such as theintensity of a pilot signal, a reference signal, or a beacon signalreceived from a base station connected to the wireless communicationapparatus 100, or the intensity of interference waves output from a basestation located around the wireless communication apparatus 100.Alternatively, the first-information extracting unit 750 may calculateother indexes obtained from these calculated values.

In the second-information storage unit 730, items of informationobtained by the second-information obtaining unit 740 may be stored in atime-series manner. Alternatively, an approximate polynomial iscalculated for each of certain periods of the time-series information,and the coefficients of the approximate polynomials may be stored as thesecond information. Alternatively, predictive values for certain periodsof the time-series information may be calculated from approximatepolynomials and stored as the second information. The predictive valuesmay be values indicating a destination to which a wireless communicationapparatus is moved or the congestion of a base station.

Upon receiving a request to send second information from one of thewireless communication apparatuses 100 through 103, the communicationunit 710 sends second information stored in the second-informationstorage unit 730 to the wireless communication apparatus which has sentthe request. For example, upon receiving a request to send secondinformation from the wireless communication apparatus 100, thecommunication unit 710 sends second information stored in thesecond-information storage unit 730 to the wireless communicationapparatus 100. Then, upon receiving the second information from theserver 700, the wireless communication apparatus 100 updates the secondinformation stored in the second-information storage unit 130 by thereceived second information.

The average value calculator 770 calculates average values of items ofsecond information received by the second-information obtaining unit740, and stores the calculation results (average values) in thesecond-information storage unit 730.

The averaging time setting unit 760 sets a period for which data samplesare averaged by using the average value calculator 770. For example, ifthe averaging time setting unit 760 causes the average value calculator770 to calculate an average value every ten minutes, it sets ten minutesas the period for calculation. An approach to setting the averaging timewill be discussed in detail later with reference to FIGS. 16A and 16B.The averaging time setting unit 760 is an example of a setting unit.

The sending frequency notifying unit 780 notifies each wirelesscommunication apparatus of the sending frequency of second informationvia the communication unit 710. For example, if the averaging timesetting unit 760 finds that information is obtained from the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 at intervals which are sufficient to extractcharacteristics or tendencies of second information, there will be nopoint of obtaining information more frequently. Accordingly, the sendingfrequency notifying unit 780 supplies an instruction to decrease thesending frequency to the wireless communication apparatus 100. As aresult, it is possible to reduce power consumed in each wirelesscommunication apparatus and communication traffic necessary to sendinformation to the server 700.

An information updating method in the wireless communication apparatus100 will now be described below.

The wireless communication apparatus 100 updates second informationstored in the second-information storage unit 130 by new informationreceived from the server 700.

It is now assumed that map information indicating all areas and staticcharacteristics associated with certain positions of the map informationare stored in the first-information storage unit 720 of the server 700.It is also assumed that dynamic characteristics associated with all theareas of the map information are stored in the second-informationstorage unit 730 of the server 700.

It is also assumed that, in the first-information storage unit 120 ofthe wireless communication apparatus 100, map information indicating anarea in which the wireless communication apparatus 100 is located andareas around the wireless communication apparatus 100, and staticcharacteristics associated with certain positions of the map informationindicating these areas are stored. It is also assumed that, in thesecond-information storage unit 130 of the wireless communicationapparatus 100, dynamic characteristics associated with the mapinformation indicating these areas are stored.

The items of information are stored as described above. It is nowassumed that the wireless communication apparatus is moved, so that thearea in which the wireless communication apparatus 100 is located hasbeen changed. In this case, first information concerning each of areasinfluenced by this change is updated, and second information concerningeach of areas influenced by this change is updated regularly orirregularly.

In this case, the wireless communication apparatus 100 may performcontrol on the basis of an instruction from the sending frequencynotifying unit 780 only when the distance between the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 and a base station connected to the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 is equal to or greater than a threshold. Thedistance to the base station may be calculated similarly to a mannercalculated by the base-station distance obtaining unit 410 shown in FIG.10.

“Example of Setting of Averaging Time”

FIGS. 16A and 16B schematically illustrate the temporal-directiondensity of times at which the server 700 obtains second information fromone or a plurality of wireless communication apparatuses. That is, FIGS.16A and 16B illustrate examples in which the averaging time is set bythe averaging time setting unit 760.

FIG. 16A illustrates the temporal-direction density of times at whichthe server 700 obtains second information from one or a plurality ofwireless communication apparatuses every one minute.

When the server 700 obtains second information from one or a pluralityof wireless communication apparatuses every one minute, as shown in FIG.16A, the averaging time setting unit 760 sets, as the averaging time,ten minutes, which is ten times as long as the interval at which secondinformation is obtained (one minute).

FIG. 16B illustrates the temporal-direction density of times at whichthe server 700 obtains second information from one or a plurality ofwireless communication apparatuses every ten minutes.

When the server 700 obtains second information from one or a pluralityof wireless communication apparatuses every ten minutes, as shown inFIG. 16B, the averaging time setting unit 760 sets, as the averagingtime, one hundred minutes, which is ten times as long as the interval atwhich second information is obtained (ten minutes).

The average value calculator 770 performs average value calculatingprocessing for extracting characteristics or tendencies of secondinformation, and updates information stored in the second-informationstorage unit 730. In the case in which second information is obtainedevery ten minutes, as shown in FIG. 16B, if data samples for ten minutesare averaged, only random characteristics are obtained, thereby makingit difficult to extract characteristics or tendencies of the secondinformation. Accordingly, the period for data samples are averaged(average value calculating processing is performed) is varied dependingon the interval at which second information is obtained, thereby makingit possible to extract appropriate characteristics or tendencies ofsecond information.

In FIGS. 16A and 16B, second information is obtained at regularintervals (one minute and ten minutes, respectively). However, theabove-described average value calculating processing is applicable whensecond information is obtained irregularly. In this case, for example,intervals at which second information is obtained are averaged, and theobtained average interval is multiplied by a predetermined value (e.g.,ten), in which case, the time ten times as long as the average intervalis set as the averaging time. In this manner, the averaging time settingunit 760 sets the period for which data samples are averaged on thebasis of the temporal-direction density of second information receivedfrom a plurality of wireless communication apparatuses. In thesecond-information storage unit 730, calculated average values of secondinformation are stored as data for updating the second information.

In a situation in which a road or a train is crowded, there may be manyusers having wireless communication apparatuses. In this situation,therefore, when the server 700 obtains various items of information witha view to providing collective intelligence, it is likely that theserver 700 can obtain various items of information from a plurality ofwireless communication apparatuses at short intervals. Various items ofinformation collected in the server 700 may be the congestion of a road,a train, or a store, or the occupancy rate of wireless resources of acertain base station (the congestion level of a base station).

In contrast, in a situation in which a road or a train is not crowded,there may be fewer users having wireless communication apparatuses.Accordingly, it is not likely that the server 700 can obtain variousitems of information from a plurality of wireless communicationapparatuses at short intervals. That is, in a more crowded situation,the updating frequency of information stored in the second-informationstorage unit 730 is increased, while, in a less crowded situation, theupdating frequency of information stored in the second-informationstorage unit 730 is decreased.

Generally, in a more crowded situation, a user may find a change ininformation concerning such a situation more useful. Accordingly, theaveraging time is changed in accordance with the interval at which theserver 700 obtains various items of information from a plurality ofwireless communication apparatuses, thereby extracting correctcharacteristics or tendencies of the information. It is thus possible toprovide information in response to user's demands.

Additionally, by extracting correct characteristics or tendencies ofinformation, the precision in predicting a future change on the basis ofthe characteristics or tendencies can be increased.

Second information stored in the second-information storage unit 730 maybe provided to wireless communication apparatuses via a wired orwireless medium.

“Example 1 of Sending of Second Information”

FIG. 17 is a sequence chart illustrating an example of communicationprocessing performed between the wireless communication apparatus 100and the server 700 forming the communication system 600 according to thefourth embodiment of the present technology. In FIG. 17, an example inwhich the wireless communication apparatus 100 downloads firstinformation and second information from the server 700 is shown. In FIG.17, an example in which the updating frequency of first information iscontrolled depending on whether or not there is a change in the area inwhich the wireless communication apparatus 100 is located.

The first information is, for example, map information or staticinformation indicating the communication quality concerning wirelesscommunication. The second information is, for example, informationconcerning vehicle congestion or train congestion dependent on positioninformation or dynamic information indicating the communication qualityconcerning wireless communication.

First, in steps S801 through S804, the wireless communication apparatus100 performs downloading processing for first information, which isstatic information. More specifically, in step S801, the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 sends a request to download firstinformation to the server 700. In step S802, the server 700 receivesthis request. Then, in step S803, the server 700 sends the requestedfirst information to the wireless communication apparatus 100. In stepS804, the wireless communication apparatus 100 receives the firstinformation.

Subsequently, in steps S805 through S808, the wireless communicationapparatus 100 performs periodic downloading processing for secondinformation, which is dynamic information. More specifically, in stepS805, the wireless communication apparatus 100 sends a request toperiodically download second information to the server 700. In stepS806, the server 700 receives this request. Then, in step S807, theserver 700 periodically sends the requested second information to thewireless communication apparatus 100. In step S808, the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 receives the second information. Thereafter,in a manner similar to steps S807 and S808, the second information isperiodically sent to the wireless communication apparatus 100 from theserver 700, and such steps are not shown in FIG. 17.

In the periodic downloading processing, the wireless communicationapparatus 100 may periodically send a request to download secondinformation to the server 700. A request to download second informationmay be sent to the server 700 irregularly.

In step S809, the wireless communication apparatus 100 determinesregularly or irregularly whether or not there is a change in the area inwhich the wireless communication apparatus 100 is located. If it isdetermined in step S809 that there is a change in the area, it isnecessary to update the first information. Then, in steps S810 throughS813, the wireless communication apparatus 100 performs downloadingprocessing for first information in a manner similar to steps S801through S804, respectively.

Thereafter, in steps S814 and S815, second information is periodicallysent to the wireless communication apparatus 100 from the server 700.The subsequent steps are not shown in FIG. 17.

“Example 2 of Sending of Second Information”

FIG. 18 is a sequence chart illustrating an example of communicationprocessing performed between the wireless communication apparatus 100and the server 700 forming the communication system 600 according to thefourth embodiment of the present technology. In FIG. 18, an example inwhich second information obtained by the wireless communicationapparatus 100 is uploaded to the server 700 is shown. In FIG. 18, anexample in which the sending frequency is controlled depending onwhether or not a sufficient number of samples to perform averaging havebeen obtained is shown.

First, in step S821, the wireless communication apparatus 100 sendssecond information to the server 700 regularly or irregularly. In stepS822, the server 700 obtains second information from a plurality ofwireless communication apparatuses (including the wireless communicationapparatus 100). Thereafter, in a manner similar to steps S821 and S822,second information is periodically sent from a plurality of wirelesscommunication apparatuses to the server 700, but such steps are notshown in FIG. 18.

In step S823, the server 700 determines regularly or irregularly whetheror not a sufficient number of samples to perform averaging have beenobtained. If it is determined in step S823 that a sufficient number ofsamples to perform averaging has been obtained, in step S824, the server700 supplies instruction to increase the uploading interval to aplurality of wireless communication apparatuses (including the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100). Then, in step S825, the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 receives this instruction. In step S826, thewireless communication apparatus 100 sends second information at longerintervals to the server 700. In step S827, the server 700 receives thesecond information. Thereafter, in a manner similar to steps S826 andS827, second information is periodically sent from a plurality ofwireless communication apparatuses to the server 700, but such steps arenot shown in FIG. 18.

A determination as to whether a sufficient number of samples to performaveraging have been obtained may be made by determining whether thenumber of samples is equal to or greater than a threshold. As thethreshold, the average number of data items for ten-minute intervals maybe used (e.g., 200).

In step S828, the server 700 also determines regularly or irregularlywhether or not a sufficient number of samples to perform averaging havebeen obtained. If it is determined in step S828 that a sufficient numberof samples to perform averaging have not been obtained, in step S829,the server 700 supplies an instruction to decrease the uploadinginterval to a plurality of wireless communication apparatuses (includingthe wireless communication apparatus 100). Then, in step S830, thewireless communication apparatus 100 receives this instruction. In stepS831, the wireless communication apparatus 100 sends second informationat shorter intervals to the server 700. In step S832, the server 700receives the second information. Thereafter, in a manner similar tosteps S831 and S832, second information is periodically sent from aplurality of wireless communication apparatuses to the server 700, butsuch steps are not shown in FIG. 18.

“Example of Operation of Server”

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an example of sending frequencyinstruction processing executed by the server 700 according to thefourth embodiment of the present technology. This processing is executedregularly or irregularly.

First, in step S941, the average value calculator 770 determines whetherthere is an instruction to change the averaging time from the averagingtime setting unit 760. If the result of step S941 is YES, the processproceeds to step S942. In step S942, the average value calculator 770changes the setting of the averaging time used for averaging processing.

Then, in step S943, the sending frequency notifying unit 780 checks theaveraging time used for averaging processing. In step S944, the sendingfrequency notifying unit 780 then calculates the number of samplessubjected to averaging processing. Then, in step S945, the sendingfrequency notifying unit 780 determines whether the number of samplesused during the averaging time is equal to or greater than a threshold.If the result of step S945 is NO, the sending frequency instructionprocessing is terminated. If the result of step S945 is YES, the processproceeds to step S946. In step S946, the sending frequency notifyingunit 780 supplies an instruction to decrease the sending frequency toeach of the wireless communication apparatuses.

In the example shown in FIG. 19, when the number of samples used duringthe averaging time is equal to or greater than the threshold, aninstruction to decrease the sending frequency is supplied to each of thewireless communication apparatuses. As stated above, if the distancebetween a wireless communication apparatus and a base station connectedto the wireless communication apparatus is relatively short, loads, suchas transmission power and communication traffic, are relatively small.Accordingly, an instruction to decrease the sending frequency may besupplied only to wireless communication apparatuses on which arelatively heavy load is imposed (the distance to a base station isrelatively long). An example of such a case is shown in FIG. 20.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of sending frequencyinstruction processing executed by the server 700 according to thefourth embodiment of the present technology. The processing shown inFIG. 20 is a modification of the processing shown in FIG. 19.Accordingly, the same steps as those shown in FIG. 19 are designated bylike step numbers, and part of an explanation thereof will be omitted.

If it is determined in step S945 that the number of samples used duringthe averaging time is equal to or greater than a threshold, the processproceeds to step S951. In step S951, the sending frequency notifyingunit 780 determines whether there is any wireless communicationapparatus, the distance from which to a base station connected to thewireless communication apparatus is equal to or greater than athreshold. In this case, information concerning the distance to a basestation is included in information sent from each wireless communicationapparatus to the server 700, and the above-described determination canbe made on the basis of this information.

If the result of step S951 is NO, the sending frequency instructionprocessing is terminated. If the result of step S951 is YES, the processproceeds to step S952. In step S952, the sending frequency notifyingunit 780 supplies an instruction to decrease the sending frequency tothe corresponding wireless communication apparatuses.

As described above, the sending frequency notifying unit 780 of theserver 700 determines the sending frequency with which a wirelesscommunication apparatus sends second information to the server 700, onthe basis of the number of samples used during a set interval forcalculating an average value, and notifies the wireless communicationapparatus of the determined sending frequency. Then, the wirelesscommunication apparatus sends second information managed in the wirelesscommunication apparatus to the server 700 on the basis of the sendingfrequency received from the server 700. Instead of executing step S951by the server 700, a wireless communication apparatus may determinewhether the distance between the wireless communication apparatus and abase station connected to the wireless communication apparatus is equalto or greater than the threshold. Then, only when the distance to thebase station is equal to or greater than the threshold, may the wirelesscommunication apparatus decrease the sending frequency in response to aninstruction from the server 700.

“Example in which Sending Frequency is Controlled in Accordance withPosition Information Precision”

Transmission power differs depending on the precision of positioninformation. When the precision is higher, the precision in averagingprocessing by the server 700 becomes higher, and when the precision islower, the precision in averaging processing by the server 700 becomeslower. Accordingly, in the following example, the sending frequency iscontrolled in accordance with the precision of position information,thereby improving the precision in averaging processing and reducingtransmission power necessary for performing wireless communication.

“Example of Functional Configuration of Wireless Communication Apparatusof Fourth Embodiment”

FIG. 21 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functionalconfiguration of a wireless communication apparatus 450 according to thefourth embodiment of the present technology. The wireless communicationapparatus 450 shown in FIG. 21 is an apparatus obtained by partiallymodifying the wireless communication apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 15.Thus, the same elements as those of the wireless communication apparatus100 are designated by like reference numerals, and part of anexplanation thereof will be omitted.

The wireless communication apparatus 450 includes the positioninformation obtaining unit 180, a position precision determining unit470, and a sending frequency controller 480.

The position information obtaining unit 180 obtains information(position information) concerning a position at which the wirelesscommunication apparatus 100 is located, and outputs the obtainedposition information to the position precision determining unit 470.

The position precision determining unit 470 determines the precision ofthe position information obtained by the position information obtainingunit 180 if second information to be stored in the second-informationstorage unit 730 is associated with the obtained position information.The position precision determining unit 470 then outputs determinationresults to the sending frequency controller 480.

If the position precision determining unit 470 has determined that theprecision of the position information obtained by the positioninformation obtaining unit 180 is equal to or greater than a threshold,the sending frequency controller 480 performs control so that secondinformation associated with the position information will not be sent tothe server 700.

The threshold for determining the precision of position information maybe changed in accordance with the resolution of second information. Forexample, if second information (information associated with positioninformation) varies with a resolution of several tens of meters, athreshold having a precision of at least ten-meter units is necessary.If second information (information associated with position information)varies with a resolution of several kilometers, a threshold having aprecision of at least kilometer units is necessary.

In this manner, the sending frequency controller 480 controls thesending frequency in accordance with the precision of positioninformation determined by the position precision determining unit 470.This makes it possible to improve the precision used for averagingsamples obtained from a plurality of wireless communication apparatusesby the server 700. Additionally, it is possible to reduce wirelesscommunication traffic between a wireless communication apparatus and theserver 700.

In an embodiment of the present technology, items of information arecategorized as first information and second information in accordancewith a degree by which an item of information changes over time.However, items of information may be categorized into three or moretypes and managed. For example, items of information having staticcharacteristics in which a temporal change is small are categorized asfirst information, and items of information having dynamiccharacteristics in which a temporal change is large are categorized assecond information. Additionally, items of information having a degreeof temporal change between that of the first information and that of thesecond information may be categorized as third information and managed.In this case, the updating frequency of the third information may beabout an intermediate value between that of the first information andthat of the second information.

In an embodiment of the present technology, management of firstinformation and second information and control of the updating frequencyof the first and second information are performed by a wirelesscommunication apparatus. However, if there is any processing that can beperformed by an information processing apparatus (e.g., management andcontrol of first information and second information), an informationprocessing apparatus may perform such processing. Moreover, if there isany processing that can be performed by an information processing systemdisposed in a network (e.g., management and control of first informationand second information), an information processing system may performsuch processing. In such cases, for example, a wireless communicationapparatus performs processing (management and control of firstinformation and second information) under the control of, for example,an information processing apparatus by utilizing wireless communication.That is, an information processing apparatus includes a manager thatmanages items of information concerning wireless communication which aremanaged in a wireless communication apparatus by categorizing the itemsof information into first information and second information inaccordance with a degree by which an item of information changes overtime. The information processing apparatus also performs control for awireless communication apparatus so that first information and secondinformation may be updated with different frequencies. An informationprocessing system disposed in a network is a system including one or aplurality of apparatuses, and cloud computing is assumed as such aninformation processing system.

In an embodiment of the present technology, an integrally formedinformation processing apparatus (e.g., the server 700) has beendiscussed by way of example. However, an embodiment of the presenttechnology may be applicable to an information processing systemincluding the individual elements forming the information processingapparatus as individual apparatuses forming the information processingsystem. An embodiment of the present technology may also be applicableto mobile wireless communication apparatuses (e.g., terminal apparatusesdedicated to data communication) other than mobile phones and to fixedwireless communication apparatuses (e.g., wireless communicationapparatuses specially used for collecting data of vending machines).

In an embodiment of the present technology, new information (thirdinformation) generated as a result of the information combining unit 140combining items of information is displayed on a display unit. However,such new information (third information) may be output from a soundoutput unit (e.g., a speaker) of a wireless communication apparatus.Additionally, information concerning, for example, a base station, maybe output from an electronic apparatus (e.g., an external sound outputapparatus or an external display apparatus) connected to a wirelesscommunication apparatus. In this case, a wireless communicationapparatus sends third information to an electronic apparatus and theelectronic apparatus outputs the third information.

The above-described embodiments are examples for realizing the presenttechnology, and the elements in the embodiments and the correspondingelements in the claims are associated with each other. Similarly, theelements in the claims and the elements in the embodiments designated bythe same names as those in the claims are associated with each other.However, the present technology is not restricted to the disclosedembodiments, and various modifications may be made to the embodimentswithout departing from the spirit of the present technology.

The processing steps discussed in the above-described embodiments may beidentified as a method including this series of steps, or as at leastone tangible, non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing atleast one program, comprising processor-executable instructions that,when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least oneprocessor to perform the series of steps. As such a recording medium, ahard disk, a compact disc (CD), a mini disc (MD), a digital versatiledisk (DVD), a memory card, a Blu-ray Disc (registered trademark), etc.,may be used.

Additionally, the present technology may be configured as follows.

(1)

An information processing apparatus including:

a manager that manages items of information concerning wirelesscommunication managed in a wireless communication apparatus bycategorizing the items of information into first information and secondinformation in accordance with a degree by which an item of informationchanges over time; and

a controller that performs control so that the first information and thesecond information will be updated with different frequencies.

(2)

The information processing apparatus according to (1), wherein themanager manages the items of information concerning wirelesscommunication by categorizing items of information having staticcharacteristics in which the items of information change by a smalldegree over time as the first information and items of informationhaving dynamic characteristics in which the items of information changeby a large degree over time as the second information.

(3)

The information processing apparatus according to (2), wherein thecontroller performs control so that the first information will beupdated less frequently than the second information.

(4)

The information processing apparatus according to (2) or (3), wherein:the information processing apparatus is the wireless communicationapparatus;

the first information is managed in units of geographical areas;

the wireless communication apparatus further includes

a position information obtaining unit that obtains position informationused for specifying a position in which the wireless communicationapparatus is located, and a determining unit that determines, on thebasis of the obtained position information, whether or not an area inwhich the wireless communication apparatus is located will be changed;and

the controller performs control so that the first information will beupdated if the determining unit determines that the area in which thewireless communication apparatus is located will be changed.

(5)

The information processing apparatus according to one of (2) to (4),wherein the controller performs control so that the frequency with whichthe second information is updated will be changed on the basis of amagnitude of a predetermined value included in the second information.

(6)

The information processing apparatus according to one of (2) to (5),wherein:

the information processing apparatus is the wireless communicationapparatus;

the wireless communication apparatus further includes a sendingfrequency controller that controls the frequency with which the secondinformation is sent to a different information processing apparatus; and

the sending frequency controller controls the frequency with which thesecond information is sent to the different information processingapparatus on the basis of a magnitude of a predetermined value includedin the second information.

(7)

The information processing apparatus according to one of (2) to (5),wherein:

the information processing apparatus is the wireless communicationapparatus;

the wireless communication apparatus further includes a sendingfrequency controller that controls the frequency with which the secondinformation is sent to a different information processing apparatus; and

the sending frequency controller controls the frequency with which thesecond information is sent to the different information processingapparatus on the basis of a distance between the wireless communicationapparatus and a base station which performs wireless communication withthe wireless communication apparatus.

(8)

The information processing apparatus according to one of (1) to (7),wherein the first information indicates a ratio of the intensity ofinterference power output from one or a plurality of base stationslocated around the information processing apparatus or from a celllocated around the information processing apparatus to the intensity ofa pilot signal, a reference signal, or a beacon signal of a base stationor a cell which performs wireless communication with the informationprocessing apparatus.

(9)

The information processing apparatus according to one of (1) to (8),wherein the second information indicates a situation in which wirelessresources are allocated to a base station which performs wirelesscommunication with the information processing apparatus.

(10)

The information processing apparatus according to (9), whereininformation indicating the situation in which wireless resources areallocated to the base station is an index regarding a ratio of powerallocated to a data transmission channel per frame if a code divisionmultiple access method is employed, and is an index regarding a ratio ofthe number of sub-carriers allocated to transmission data to the totalnumber of sub-carriers per frame if an orthogonal frequency divisionmultiplexing method is employed.

(11)

The information processing apparatus according to one of (1) to (10),further including:

an information combining unit that generates new information bycombining the first information with the second information.

(12)

The information processing apparatus according to (11), wherein theinformation combining unit generates information concerning one or aplurality of wireless communication services as the new information, anddisplays the generated new information on a display unit.

(13)

The information processing apparatus according to (12), furtherincluding a setting unit that performs setting processing if one of theplurality of wireless communication services is selected, the settingprocessing being performed for utilizing the selected wirelesscommunication service.

(14)

A communication system including:

a wireless communication apparatus including

a manager that manages items of information concerning wirelesscommunication managed in the wireless communication apparatus bycategorizing the items of information into first information and secondinformation in accordance with a degree by which an item of informationchanges over time, and

a controller that performs control so that the first information and thesecond information will be updated with different frequencies; and

an information processing apparatus that provides information forupdating the first information and the second information in thewireless communication apparatus to the wireless communicationapparatus.

(15)

The communication system according to (14), wherein the informationprocessing apparatus includes

a communication unit that receives items of second information managedin the wireless communication apparatus from the wireless communicationapparatus, a setting unit that sets a period used for calculating anaverage value of the received items of second information, on the basisof the temporal-direction density of the received items of secondinformation,

an average value calculator that calculates an average value of theitems of second information received during the period set by thesetting unit, and

a storage unit that stores therein the calculated average value of theitems of second information as information for updating the secondinformation in the wireless communication apparatus.

(16)

The communication system according to (15), wherein:

the information processing apparatus further includes a sendingfrequency notifying unit that determines the frequency with which thewireless communication apparatus sends the second information, on thebasis of the number of samples of the items of second informationreceived during the set period for which the average value iscalculated, and that notifies the wireless communication apparatus ofthe determined frequency; and

the wireless communication apparatus sends the second informationmanaged in the wireless communication apparatus to the informationprocessing apparatus on the basis of the determined frequency.

(17)

An information processing method including:

performing control so that first information and second information willbe updated with different frequencies, on the basis of the content ofmanagement in which items of information concerning wirelesscommunication managed in a wireless communication apparatus are managedby categorizing the items of information into the first information andthe second information in accordance with a degree by which an item ofinformation changes over time.

(18)

A method for controlling updating of information stored

on a device, the information including information of a first type andinformation of a second type, the method including:

determining, using at least one processor, when a first item ofinformation of the first type and a second item of information of thesecond type are to be updated, wherein the second item of information isto be updated more frequently than the first item of information; and

causing the device to update the first and second items

of information in accordance with the determination at least in part bywirelessly communicating with at least one other device.

(19)

The method of (18), wherein the determining includes determining a firstupdating frequency at which the first item of information is to beupdated and a second updating frequency at which the second item ofinformation is to be updated, wherein the second updating frequency islarger than the first updating frequency.

(20)

The method of (18), wherein determining when the second item ofinformation is to be updated includes:

determining an average value for the second item of information over aperiod of time.

(21)

The method of (18), wherein information of the first type changes moreslowly over time than information of the second type.

(22)

The method of (18), wherein determining when the first and second itemsof information are to be updated includes:

calculating a movement speed of the device at least in part by obtainingposition information indicating a position at which the device islocated.

(23)

The method of (18), wherein causing the device to update the first iteminformation includes causing the device to:

request an updated version of the first item of information from the atleast one other device; and

in response to the request, receive the updated version of the firstitem of information from the at least one other device.

(24)

The method of (18), further including:

causing the device to display the second item of informationsuperimposed on the first item of information.

(25)

The method of (24), wherein the first item of information is mapinformation and the second item of information is at least onecommunication rate for at least one communication carrier.

(26)

The method of (18), wherein the first item of information is mapinformation.

(27)

The method of (18), wherein the device is configured to communicatewirelessly with a base station, the first item of information isinformation related to intensity of a pilot, beacon, or reference signalreceived from the base station and/or information related to intensityof an interference signal received from the base station, and whereinthe second item of information is information related to allocation ofwireless resources to the base station.

(28)

The method of (18), wherein the device is configured to use a firstcommunication service provided by a first communication carrier, themethod further including: causing the device to use a secondcommunication service provided by a second communication carrier insteadof the first communication service.

(29)

The method of (28), wherein the first item of information is mapinformation, the second item of information includes a firstcommunication rate associated with the first communication service and asecond communication rate associated with the second communicationservice, the method further including:

causing the device to display the first and second communication ratessuperposed on the map information; and

when the device uses the second communication service, causing thedevice to display the first communication rate and second communicationrate differently from when the device uses the first communicationservice.

(30)

The method of (18), wherein the method is performed by the device.

(31)

The method of (18), wherein the method is performed by the at least oneother device.

(32)

At least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium storingprocessor-executable instructions that, when executed by at least oneprocessor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method forcontrolling updating of information stored on a device, the informationincluding information of a first type and information of a second type,the method including:

determining when a first item of information of the first type and asecond item of information of the second type are to be updated, whereinthe second item of information is to be updated more frequently than thefirst item of information; and

causing the device to update the first and second items

of information in accordance with the determination at least in part bywirelessly communicating with at least one other device.

(33)

A device, including:

at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing atleast a first item of information of a first type and at least a seconditem of information of a second type; and

at least one processor programmed to control updating of informationstored on the at least one non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium at least in part by:

determining when a first item of information of the first type and asecond item of information of the second type are to be updated, whereinthe second item of information is to be updated more frequently than thefirst item of information; and

updating the first and second items of information in accordance withthe determination at least in part by wirelessly communicating with atleast one other device.

(34)

A system including:

a device comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium storing at least a first item of information of a firsttype and at least a second item of information of a second type; and

at least one computer configured to control updating of informationstored on the at least one non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium at least in part by:

determining when a first item of information of the first type and asecond item of information of the second type are to be updated, whereinthe second item of information is to be updated more frequently than thefirst item of information; and

causing the device to update the first and second items of informationin accordance with the determination at least in part by wirelesslycommunicating with at least one other device.

Some embodiments may comprise a non-transitory computer readable storagemedium (or multiple computer readable media) (e.g., a computer memory,one or more floppy discs, compact discs (CD), optical discs, digitalvideo disks (DVD), magnetic tapes, flash memories, circuitconfigurations in Field Programmable Gate Arrays or other semiconductordevices, or other tangible computer storage media) encoded with one ormore programs (e.g., a plurality of processor-executable instructions)that, when executed on one or more computers or other processors,perform methods that implement the various embodiments discussed above.As is apparent from the foregoing examples, a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium may retain information for a sufficienttime to provide computer executable instructions in a non-transitoryform.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occurdepending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they arewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

Use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in theclaims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote anypriority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or thetemporal order in which acts of a method are performed. Such ordinalterms are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element havinga certain name from another element having a same name (but for use ofthe ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.

Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing,” “involving,” andvariations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listedthereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

The present disclosure contains subject matter related to that disclosedin Japanese Priority Patent Application JP 2012-132467 filed in theJapan Patent Office on Jun. 12, 2012, the entire contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   100 through 103, 300, 400, 450, 500, 550 Wireless communication        apparatus    -   110 Communication unit    -   120 First-information storage unit    -   130 Second-information storage unit    -   140 Information combining unit    -   150 Display unit    -   160 Average value calculator    -   170 Updating frequency controller    -   180 Position information obtaining unit    -   190 Area determining unit    -   200 Updating information manager    -   310 Sending frequency controller    -   320 Current-position information obtaining unit    -   330 Current-position information storage unit    -   340 Current-position second information extracting unit    -   350 Current-position second information updating unit    -   410 Base-station distance obtaining unit    -   420 Sending frequency controller    -   470 Position precision determining unit    -   480 Sending frequency controller    -   510 Operation receiver    -   520 Contract authentication information setting unit    -   530 Wireless communication method setting unit    -   560 Wireless communication service selector    -   600 Communication system    -   610 Network    -   620 Communication control apparatus    -   621, 622 Base station    -   700 Server    -   710 Communication unit    -   720 First-information storage unit    -   730 Second-information storage unit    -   740 Second-information obtaining unit    -   750 First-information extracting unit    -   760 Averaging time setting unit    -   770 Average value calculator    -   780 Sending frequency notifying unit

1. A method for controlling updating of information stored on a device,the information comprising information of a first type and informationof a second type, the method comprising: determining, using at least oneprocessor, when a first item of information of the first type and asecond item of information of the second type are to be updated, whereinthe second item of information is to be updated more frequently than thefirst item of information; and causing the device to update the firstand second items of information in accordance with the determination atleast in part by wirelessly communicating with at least one otherdevice.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprisesdetermining a first updating frequency at which the first item ofinformation is to be updated and a second updating frequency at whichthe second item of information is to be updated, wherein the secondupdating frequency is larger than the first updating frequency.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein determining when the second item ofinformation is to be updated comprises: determining an average value forthe second item of information over a period of time.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein information of the first type changes more slowly overtime than information of the second type.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein determining when the first and second items of information areto be updated comprises: calculating a movement speed of the device atleast in part by obtaining position information indicating a position atwhich the device is located.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein causingthe device to update the first item information comprises causing thedevice to: request an updated version of the first item of informationfrom the at least one other device; and in response to the request,receive the updated version of the first item of information from the atleast one other device.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:causing the device to display the second item of informationsuperimposed on the first item of information.
 8. The method of claim 7,wherein the first item of information is map information and the seconditem of information is at least one communication rate for at least onecommunication carrier.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first itemof information is map information.
 10. The method of claim 1, whereinthe device is configured to communicate wirelessly with a base station,the first item of information is information related to intensity of apilot, beacon, or reference signal received from the base station and/orinformation related to intensity of an interference signal received fromthe base station, and wherein the second item of information isinformation related to allocation of wireless resources to the basestation.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is configured touse a first communication service provided by a first communicationcarrier, the method further comprising: causing the device to use asecond communication service provided by a second communication carrierinstead of the first communication service.
 12. The method of claim 11,wherein the first item of information is map information, the seconditem of information comprises a first communication rate associated withthe first communication service and a second communication rateassociated with the second communication service, the method furthercomprising: causing the device to display the first and secondcommunication rates superposed on the map information; and when thedevice uses the second communication service, causing the device todisplay the first communication rate and second communication ratedifferently from when the device uses the first communication service.13. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by thedevice.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed bythe at least one other device.
 15. At least one non-transitory computerreadable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions that,when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least oneprocessor to perform a method for controlling updating of informationstored on a device, the information comprising information of a firsttype and information of a second type, the method comprising:determining when a first item of information of the first type and asecond item of information of the second type are to be updated, whereinthe second item of information is to be updated more frequently than thefirst item of information; and causing the device to update the firstand second items of information in accordance with the determination atleast in part by wirelessly communicating with at least one otherdevice.
 16. A device, comprising: at least one non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium storing at least a first item ofinformation of a first type and at least a second item of information ofa second type; and at least one processor programmed to control updatingof information stored on the at least one non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium at least in part by: determining when afirst item of information of the first type and a second item ofinformation of the second type are to be updated, wherein the seconditem of information is to be updated more frequently than the first itemof information; and updating the first and second items of informationin accordance with the determination at least in part by wirelesslycommunicating with at least one other device.
 17. A system comprising: adevice comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium storing at least a first item of information of a first type andat least a second item of information of a second type; and at least onecomputer configured to control updating of information stored on the atleast one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium at least inpart by: determining when a first item of information of the first typeand a second item of information of the second type are to be updated,wherein the second item of information is to be updated more frequentlythan the first item of information; and causing the device to update thefirst and second items of information in accordance with thedetermination at least in part by wirelessly communicating with at leastone other device.